Leave it to Cosmo Vitelli, I'm A Cliche's label mastermind, to have sniffed out the charms of Hungry for the Power during a bout of new-act bloodhoundingLeave it to Cosmo Vitelli, I'm A Cliche's label mastermind, to have sniffed out the charms of Hungry for the Power during a bout of new-act bloodhounding. Azari & III have crafted a flawless anthem that doesn't invoke classic Chicago house as much as it actually is classic Chicago house. It entices with a bouncy groove made from compressed, apple-assed Roland kits and punchy synths. Its main attraction however are the sugary dueling vocal lines, one emitted by a growly baritone, the other a flamboyant soprano, who sing around other in a whirling call-and-response. It's trashy fun, hypersexualized and ridiculously catchy; it's such a burner that you could have filled the rest of this 12-inch with trance covers of Neil Diamond tunes and it would still be an essential purchase.

Thus it's only icing on the cake that Matias Aguayo, Vitelli and Runaway join in on remix action. Aguayo and Vitelli beef up the drums with arpeggiated bonk and up the cheek factor with sampled oos and ridiculous horns, resulting in a playfully demented mix. From their past remix work, you can pretty much count on Runaway to narcotize whatever tune they get a hold of, and their take on Hungry doesn't disappoint, discarding the original's hooky pop appeal for a sweaty amphetamine workout.

The additional originals here by Azari & III don't hold a candle to the single, but that's not saying much. Manhooker, whose title evokes an X-rated remake of Deuce Bigalow, has a moody '80s vibe and slow-burn rumble that evokes Don Johnson on a midnight prowl. Closer She's An Illusion goes for an uptempo bang similar to its A1 kin, but instead of being a stripped fist-pumper, it loses the plot amid a flurry of bells, whistles, toms and pads. Compared to Hungry it feels a bit overstuffed and unrefined, but with the same talent and skill nonetheless on display.