People say Berlin and for many walls and sausages spring to mind. However for a growing number of people Berlin means techno and Berghain. The hedonistic club has become synonymous with European clubbing, which has seen people travelling from far and wide to be turned away at the door by its mysterious and sporadic door policy. This adds to the mystic and allure of the place where cameras are forbidden and various urban myths have perpetuated their way through clubbing knitting circles. One thing that isn’t a mystery is the Berghain sound, devised by its two residents Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock. The dark and subtly punishing sounds of Berghain have become legendary through the magical club but also further afield via the record label Ostgut Ton. It’s on this label where the Berghain mix series has been running for the last five years. The critically acclaimed Berghain 02 was mixed by the club’s first son Dettmann, which really brought the sound to the masses. Two years on and the fourth instalment falls to the club’s second son – Klock. But in a world where the Berghain sound is admired, adored and imitated, how much of an impact can Klock’s mix make?

Whilst we’re comfortable with the “sound” it’s Klock’s impeccable track selection and mixing that has the impact to wipe entire species off a planet, highlighting him as a true grandmaster in his field. He mixes on a tight rope of precision rhythm where a mechanical pace is set from the very beginning. Around this Klock structures incredibly smooth and subtle transitions which never really register consciously yet subconsciously it brings absolute audio delight to your ears. Early on in the mix we hear this subtle finesse. The way the Gothic organs of DVS1’s Pressure just simply whittle away leaving behind the muted tribal kick drums of Dettmann’s reworking of Junior Boy’s Work, letting that breath before populating the minimalistic soundscape with Martyn’s mechanical clunking beats and gritty warping bassline on Mini Luv. It’s so simple and hugely understated, yet it provides such hypnotic appeal.

He uses this smoothness and hypnotism to neutralise the sting of the middle and latter sections of the mix made up of fierce techno sounds from the likes of Mikhail Breen’s Veracity, DVS1’s Confused, Rolando’s De Cago or Ruskin’s Graphic. Instead of being brash and in your face with relentless sounds, the smooth progression makes each track seem like a logical or natural step in intensity, culminating with the tumbling kick drums of Kevin Gorman’s 7AM Stepper. It’s a classic Klock trait making often ferocious sounds more palatable, and in doing so he is able to slot in more melodic and softer tracks such as the twinkling Loop 04 from STL or his own Elfin Flight; even the classic Chicago house of Tyree’s Nuthin Wrong seems to fit in with undisputed relevance.

Klock has not only hit the mark with this CD, he’s bludgeoned it into a smear that will be there for years. His understated mixing knits together that “Berghain” sound with such precision and class whereby he’s able to deliver intense techno in a way that’s inquisitive and addictive without even giving you a chance to turn your nose up at it. This makes Klock a master of his craft.

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Tracklist:
1. 154 – Apricot
2. DVS1 – Pressure
3. Junior Boys – Work – Marcel Dettmann Remix
4. Martyn – Miniluv
5. STL – Loop 04
6. Levon Vincent – The Long Life
7. Jonas Kopp – Michigan Lake
8. ACT – RoHd
9. Mikhail Breen – Veracity
10. DVS1 – Confused
11. Rolando – De Cago
12. Kevin Gorman – 7am Stepper
13. Ben Klock – Compression Session 1
14. Roman Lindau – Keppra
15. Tyree – Nuthin Wrong
16. The Echologist – Dirt – Ben Klock Edit
17. James Ruskin – Graphic
18. Ben Klock feat. Elif Biçer – Elfin Flight
19. Rolando – Junie

During that last year of touring they must have had a  lot of fun as this album is a blink and you’ll miss it seven tracks long, not to mention one of those tracks being a Dyed Sondorom remix! But as the saying goes, its quality not quantity that matters. Across the short space of seven tracks we get glimpses of the Wolf and Lamb eclecticism we’ve all come to love. In the opening moments we see their willingness to experiment outside of house’s conformities. The opening track ‘Just For Now’ combines abstract ambience in to hypnotic house grooves, whilst their remix of Mock and Toof’s ‘Shoeshine Boogie’ fuses the mechanical ticks of old skool electro hip hop with acid riffs and sweeping melodic synths. Later in the album we’re subjected to further experimentation with ‘Monster Love’ which plays around with some of the abstract themes of Jazz. Its use of tumbling percussion, smoky double bass basslines and muted trumpet motifs all phase in and out of time with a loose rhythm making for some interesting listening.

But no Wolf and Lamb album wouldn’t be complete without some homage to straight up house music. Title track ‘Love Someone’ sides with the bouncey happy side of house. Its whirring strings and horn riffs loop round and round to create a bright, warm cage rattler of a track. Whilst in contrast there’s the restrained bounce of Dyed Sondorom’s remix of ‘Want Your Money’ or the hypnotic driving bass of ‘I Know You’re Leaving’ which covers the subtler and deeper strings of the Wolf and Lamb house bow.  With these tracks they really show they can make quality house music that sounds great in a club or at home. They’re danceable yet have the quirky depth which gives it that edge over other house productions.

Even though we see different sides of Wolf and Lamb on this album, it just seems seven tracks is a bit short to fully explore what they are about. What is on the album is good, from the experimental sounds to the bread and butter house music. However I still think they’ve missed other avenues that they would normally explore. What’s more, Wolf and Lamb is very much a community driven thing, bringing together a family of artists and on this album we see little of that community. It would have been good to get more collaborations with some of the artists that help made Wolf and Lamb what it is today or even with some of the fresh talent they’ve met whilst on the road this last year. A good effort in general, but maybe a little rushed so they could strike whilst the W+L brand is hot.

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TRACKLISTING:
01. Just For now
02. Mock & Toof – Shoeshine Boogie (Wolf + Lamb Remix)
03. Love Someone
04. Want Your Money (Dyed Soundorom Wants Your Love remix)
05. I Know You’re Leaving
06. Monster Love
07. Want Your Money

Yet dOP have taken it in their stride. Their mix flows beautifully, hitting on a dreamy and hypnotic sound that is controlled and refined throughout. Nothing is rushed on this mix; it elegantly coasts through shifting soundscapes from radiating melodies, bumping grooves and distinctive riffs. Their use of real instruments for many of the riffs creates infectious hooks that pull you through the mix. Riffs like the whimsical French accordion used on the Seuil collaboration ‘New York’; or the twinkling piano found on ‘Deaf Wagrant’ and the woodwind motif that trickles through ‘Play Play Play’, really get under your skin and draw you through the progression.

But between these distinctive hooks lie deep sweeping melodies and bumping grooves that carry the listener through. Glory Hole for instance, another Seuil collaboration, is a beautiful track. Its hypnotic and subtle layers, that are reminiscent of Carl Craig’s Detroit futurism sound, provides a dreamy transition from the bumpy groove of The Ceremony to the unwinding final section of the mix. Whilst tracks like Carte Blanche and Call The Shots with their growling basslines add a real rawness and energy to keep things moving.

It’s this oscillating progression between sounds which makes this mix so interesting. The way it subtlety shifts and mutates through this refined and controlled sound; keeping the listener strung on a constant edge is brilliant. But what’s more brilliant is that this mix is made up almost entirely of new unreleased dOP material. It’s practically an album, yet it’s a mix. I wait with baited breath to see what their official album – expected later this year – will be like, but until then this is definitely worth a purchase.

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Tracklist:
01. Enliven dOP Acoustic – The Dust (Recorded Live at Watergate)
02. dOP & Nôze – Les Fils du Calvaire
03. Aquarius Heaven & dOP – Before You Go
04. Daniele Papini & dOP – Carte Blanche
05. dOP & Seuil – New York
06. dOP – Stock Option (Tiefschwarz Remix)
07. Mathias Kaden & dOP – The Ceremony
08. Seuil & dOP – Glory Hole
09. Catz & Dogz & dOP – Deaf Wagrant (Selianka Edit)
10. Wareika & dOP – Play Play Play
11. Art of Tones ft. Jaw – Call The Shots (Motor City Drum Ensemble Remix)
12. Khan – Candy Girl (dOP Remix)
13. dOP – Goodbye

On paper Brosnan is checking all the right boxes for a showcase of nu disco, with the likes of Todd Terje, Lindstrom, Greg Wilson, The Revenge and Tensnake, starlets of the scene all featuring heavily on this compilation. Listening to the mix he also ticks all the right mixing boxes with smooth transitions, good progression and carefully thought out mixes. It’s moments like his transition from Nick Chacona’s The Fear into the very catchy Eurodans by Todd Terje which lands the peak of the mix with an instantly recognisable focus point; or it’s the carefully timed transition from Ray Mang’s Look Into My Eyes to Bot’Ox’s Blue Steel which silkily down shifts the mix for a floating cosmic finish, and it’s those things which show off the finesse of the mix overall.

So Brosnan is doing all the right things, it achieves everything he’s set out to do. He’s got a great showcase of nu disco, its mixed well and its pitched perfectly for those forthcoming sunny summer months. Yet for all its box ticking, i’m still coming away from this mix a bit luke warm. Whilst there are some real stars on this mix, the nu disco scene isn’t as burgeoning as it once was when Future Disco released their first compilation. As with any genre over time, nu disco has found its feet, its been given a definition and we’re now starting to see a formula to the sound which is noticeable on this compilation. The converging nu disco genre has in turn taken away some of the freshness and excitement that we’ve heard on previous disco comps.

But freshness is a subjective matter. If you’re new and unschooled in the nu disco sound then this is a perfect one stop tour where it will tick all the right boxes for your disco summer. If you’re well versed in the disco scene, this mix will probably lack that cutting edge for it to be memorable.

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Tracklist:
1. Drop Out Orchestra – Macaque
2. Lindstrom & Christabelle – Baby Can’t Stop
3. Curses! – The Deep End (Holy Ghost! Day School Dub)
4. The Revenge feat Danielle Moore – Just Be Good To Me (Ron Basejam Remix)
5. Ilija Rudman – Call Me Tonight (Greg Wilson Version)
6. Crazy P – Never Gonna Reach Me (Hot Toddy Remix)
7. Nick Chacona – The Fear feat Kathy Diamond (Beg To Differ Remix)
8. Todd Terje – Eurodans
9. Chamboche – Feverish (The Revenge Remix)
10. Johnny Dynell – Jam Hot (Tensnake Remix)
11. Moscow – Throw up (Brontosaurus Remix)
12. Bonar Bradberry – Carlos The Jackal
13. Sean Brosnan – Sat Jam (Ray Mang Remix)
14. Ray Mang – Look Into My Eyes
15. Bot’Ox – Blue Steel
16. Magnus International – Mandass Morran Blus

It’s pretty dark times for our northern breadrin in Glasgow. Their football club can barely scrape together the costs for an open top bus trophy tour; then there’s that ridiculous stat you always hear that a good proportion of the city lives in poverty at a level which rivals Zimbabwe and to add insult to injury their easterly sister Edinburgh gets voted the best place to live in the country. But these things are the least of the city’s worries. It’s more so the dark cloud that hangs over the legendary Sub Club since Optimo announced they were ending their Sunday night tenure. Their weekly blend of eclectic samplings will be sorely missed, I for one am gutted that I never made it that far up north to witness these legendary nights first hand.

Luckily they immortalised some of what goes on at the Sub Club with their recent 20 Years of Sub Club mix. That mix ducked and dived through so many shades from electronic and acid to new wave and disco. It had a beautiful flow using some very disparate music making it a brilliant home listening CD. This extensive repertoire of legendary club nights, DJ sets and mix CDs means the bar is set extraordinarily high for their Fabric 52 mix. I wonder if they can pull off another great mix CD bottling that essence that has made them much loved in Glasgow and across the country.

From the press release the duo mentioned that they set out to capture a dance floor driven mix which reflects what they would normally do in Fabric’s Room 2. And that it is. The first half especially is a driving mix of chugging electronic basslines and loopy hooks. Prins Thomas, Spencer Parker and Rebolledo all weigh in with their interpretations of chuggy, yet whilst they’re different in their own ways they all seem to trundle along in the same way and offer little in terms of a sharp turn in proceedings which we have come to expect.

It’s not until the second half where the dancefloor guard is let down, allowing the mix to open up and explore those different avenues. The way they interject Thomas Brinkmann’s bleepy shuffling Walk With Me with the 90s German New Wave of Rheingold at the half way mark is exactly the kind of magic I was hoping for throughout this mix. It’s how they bend tracks from different genres to fit in with a dancey flow. We see more glimpses of this throughout the second half as Optimo weave in flavours from across the board. They give a quick head nod to the burgeoning UK Funky scene with a track from Roska where his syncopated beats allow it to blend perfectly with the Columbian folk dance rhythms on Shacalao. We also get detours into luscious synth washes such as the Joy Division-esque Together Alone or the camp 80s Don’t Call on Italians Do It Better.

It’s not like the second half is completely different to the first. It still keeps the same pace and flow; it’s just the more out of kilter track selection makes the mix a whole lot more interesting which finally gives the mix some much needed identity. It’s a shame there’s so much dawdling in the opening which disappointingly  makes it a luke warm effort overall.

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Tracklist:
01 Fad Gadget – Lady Shave – Mute
02 Discodromo – Cosmorama (Prins Thomas Discomiks) – Internasjonal
03 Basic Channel – Q1.1 – Basic Channel
04 Spencer Parker – YOGOTO – Rekids
05 Locussolus – Gunship – International Feel
06 Rebolledo – Amigos Cómeme – Cómeme
07 The Minister – Jack Your Bodey House Your Mind – Crème Organization
08 Altz – Get It Down! – Altzmusica
09 Thomas Brinkmann – Walk With Me – Curle
10 Rheingold – Dreiklangsdimensionen – Welt Rekord
11 Capablanca & T Keeler – La Konk Fiesta – Gomma
12 Roska – Feeline – Roska Kicks & Snares
13 Cumbia Moderna De Soledad – Shacalao – Sunflower
14 The Tyrell Corporation – Together Alone – Clone
15 Roni Griffith – Spys – Vanguard
16 Levon Vincent – Love Technique – Ovum
17 Oni Ayhun – OAR003-B – Oni Ayhun
18 Desire – Don’t Call – Italians Do It Better
19 Crazy Cousinz – Inflation – Defenders Ent Ltd
20 Matias Aguayo – Walter Neff – Kompakt
21 Nakion – Heartbit – Tigersushi
22 Xex – Heartbeat – What’s That Music

DJ T has build the mix for home listening using a wealth of off-beat, vocal and deep groove tracks that hold your interest over the usual club focused “untz untz untz” for your dancing feet. DJ T’s twenty year career shines through as the whole mix has a mature finesse about it. He skillfully holds a subtle tension throughout the mix with laser precision. Tracks like DJ T’s own Try to Understand and the brilliant TJ Kong and Nuno Dos Santos remix of Jesus Was a B-Boy just hold you at the edge making sure he’s got your full attention.

As well as keeping you on edge, DJ T peppers the landscape of the mix with memorable scenery through the use of off beat and vocal tracks. Its moments like dropping into Matias Aguayo’s Pata Pata heavy African tribal beats and voodoo-esque chant from Danton Eeprom’s slow and winding Give Me Pain that instantly grabs your attention. It moves from the slow and spacey broken beat, then pow, tribal drums kick in, stepping the mix up a gear. You’ve also got Wigald Boning’s Kobra Dance which breaks up a stretch of dark grooves with a crescendo of bright vocal harmonies and staccato horns; or the disjointed and cosmic Salax remix of A Million Secrets which adds a different dimension to the opening scene of the mix.

The whole mix is refined and breathes the full twenty years of DJ T’s experience. His tight and tidy mixes along with smart track selection reminds you of just how effective a straight up two decks and a mixer CD comp can be.

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Tracklist:
01 dOP – Wiper Law – Unreleased
02 Michael J Collins – I Just Wanna Be Your Disco Bitch – Wolf + Lamb
03 10lec6 – Drown Dogs Holidays – Cliche I am
04 Stuffa A Million Secrets (Salax Peep Show Remix) – Trunkfunk
05 Madioko N Rafika – Ellelli (Kalabrese Remix) – Innervisions
06 Danton Eeprom – Give Me Pain – Yes Is More
07 Matias Aguayo Ft. Lerato – Pata Pata -Cómeme
08 Ben Mono – Jesus Was A B-Boy (TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos Remix) – Compost
09 Will Saul & Tam Cooper Ft. Ursula Rucker – Where Is It (Will Saul & Tam Cooper’s Reloved Dub Mix) – Simple Records
10 Dave DK & Holger Zilske Feat. Richard Davis – You Will Find Out
11 III & Azari – Hungry For The Power – Cliche I am
12 Wigald Boning – Kobra Dance – Compost
13 Soulphiction – The Royal Pennekaums (Chocolettes Nervous Mix) – Musik Krause
14 Le Roif Ft. Roland Clarrk – I Get Deep – Deeptown Music
15 DJ T. – Try To Understand – Kindisch
16 DJ Mujava – Township Funk (Crazy P Mix) – United Recordings
17 Good Guy Mikesh – Milk & Honey (Basket Mix) – LiebeDetail
18 Bodycode – Immune – Spectral
19 Random Factor – Broken Mirror – 20:20 Vision
20 WhoMadeWho – Keep Me In My Plane (DJ Koze Hudson River Dub) – Gomma

To a certain extent yes, his three track beatless intro with nonsensical but amusing chat about white rabbits and quantum physics is a fine example of him making his mark by keeping you in a holding pattern and subtly controlling the build of rhythm. It’s a ballsy move when you’ve only got 70 odd minutes to play with but when the beats finally kick you know you have been dropped into the weird and wonderful world that is Seth Troxler. His track selection is house music, yet it’s not middle of the road house. Each track beats 4/4 yet each have their own hallmark and hints of eccentricity, all the while being smoothly blended together through great depth and body. He has a knack of slipping through so many different textures; such as transitioning from the laidback sunset layers of Baeka’s Right At It through the wonky blues bass line of Dinky’s Westoid and then somehow contrasting that bright dimension with the dark, hypnotic and very athemic Kurtel remix of Fables and Fairytales.

We get further depths and textures throughout the whole mix from the haunting trip of Alexi Delano’s Molar One or the bleepy schizophrenic Stricher by Roman Flugel intertwined with sweeping melodies and bright layers of Birds and Souls’ self titled track or Troxler’s remix of Fever Ray Seven. It’s all in there and its refined yet not over worked, just great tracks mixed with panache. However I did say he had only captured himself to a certain extent. The one thing missing is the spontaneity that makes a Troxler set so enjoyable, those curveballs that come out of no where and just wipe you out, stamping that mark of timelessness on those forever remembered sets. It just lacks that one defining moment yet despite that the mix intelligently delights as it unfolds through every subtle (maybe too subtlety) twist and turn. The mix certainly delivers for now, but with so much expectation for Troxler to create something phenomenal, the true test is whether this mix can still entertain and amuse years into the future. All that’s left is for time to tell.

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Tracklist:
01. Seth Troxler – Intro / Ryan Crosson – Amb 1
02. The Royal We – Party Guilt (Dinky’s Arp-A-Pella)
03. Luciano – Fran Left Home / Mike Shannon – Sweet A Pella
04. Craig Smith & The Revenge – The Soul Part II
05. Baeka – Right At It
06. Dinky feat. Update – Westoid
07. N/A feat. Rosina – Fables and Fairytales (Deniz Kurtel Remix)
08. Spektrum – Freakbox (Richie Hawtin’s Uncontrolled Edit)
09. Alexi Delano – Molar One
10. Jabberjaw – The Connie Shake
11. Heartthrob – Signs (Thrill Cosby aka Seth Troxler Remix)
12. Birds And Souls – Birds and Souls
13. Roman Flügel – Stricher
14. Fever Ray – Seven (Seth Troxler Remix)
15. Kiki – Cinema Obscura
16. Nicolas Jaar – Time for Us

When you look at tracklist for this release you can certainly see why, you’ve got everything that’s vibrant about the urban scene right now along with head nods to the techno, house, dub and dancehall scenes. But one thing that stands out from this genre crossing mix is that it’s not mixed one genre at a time, it’s literally a melting pot where styles intermingle as if they were one flowing style. Take for instance the carnival percussive nature of UK Funky (which in my opinion is African influenced house ala Africanism/DJ Gregory repackaged for the urban scene) from the likes of Maddslinky and Altered Natives, Martyn has that slid in right up against the rumbling dubby basslines of Zomby with such ease. He can then take that dub theme but switch it out to the restrained and hypnotic tumbling techno of Ben Klock’s mix of The Clock and DJ Bone’s We Control The Beat; before easing back into the more laidback dub rhythms like his fantastic remix of Detachment’s Circles and the floaty Brkln Clln from Joy Orbison. It’s done with great subtlety but a definite panache where the changes in rhythms and textures really grab your attention.

There’s even more attention grabbing contrast with the second half of the mix where Martyn accelerates and decelerates between techno and dub step, going from the rather loopy Ben Klock remix of Is This Insanity or Jan Driver’s Rat Altert to Actress’ deceptive Slow Jam or 2562’s Flashback. Mechanical beats, restrained beats, in your face saw tooth synths or deep washes of layers; they’re all disparate elements which come together to create this vibrant ride encompassing so many areas of dance music.

It’s such a testament to dance music that even in this day in age of atomic categorisation and sub-sub genres that above all else it’s just all about bringing good music together. Martyn hits the nail on the head here with his salute to beautiful music, go swap that unwanted Minstry CD you got for Christmas off you nan for this… Now!

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Tracklist:
01. Hudson Mohawke – Joy Fantastic Feat. Olivier Daysoul
02. Alec Wizz – Drummin’ (Louis Benedetti Drumminpella)
03. Nubian Mindz – Bossa Boogie
04. Maddslinky – Lost On Tenori Street
05. Altered Natives – Rass Out
06. Zomby – Little Miss Naughty
07. Uncle Bakongo – Afar
08. Zomby – Light Cycle
09. Deepgroove & Jamie Anderson – The Clock (Ben Klock’s Timepiece)
10. DJ Bone – We Control the Beat
11. Detachments – Circles (Martyn’s Round & Round Mix)
12. Joy Orbison – Brkln Clln
13. Cooly G – Feeling You
14. Martyn Feat dBridge – These Words (Roska’s Speechless Mix)
15. Kode9 – Oozi
16. Roska – Without It
17. Martyn – Friedrichstrasse
18. Levon Vincent – Air Raid
19. Martyn Feat Spaceape – Is This Insanity? (Ben Klock Mix)
20. Martyn – Seventy Four (Redshape Mix)
21. Actress – Slowjam
22. Zomby – Mercury’s Rainbow
23. 2562 – Flashback
24. Martyn – Vancouver
25. Jan Driver – Rat Alert
26. Dorian Concept – Trilingual Dance Sexperience

The answer – no, at best on par. The mix follows the same recipe of synthetic funk, robotic rhythms and mechanical beats. The only difference is for Fabric 49 she stays caught on the same jittery electronic theme rather than providing contrast and texture exploring the techno genre. On Dancing Machine she moved from abstract sounds, to funky rhythms, to dark pummelling techno with ease.  But on Fabric 49 she stays firmly locked on the same groove throughout.

After 70 minutes of listening you’re left with a few moments and a lot of non-descript toe tapping. Don’t get me wrong there are some interesting tracks and transitions. When the bassline drops on Magda’s Moroder’s Revenge you do take notice as does the fog horn bassline from Robert Babicz’s Chordy. B-lines aside, there’s an interesting spooky medley between Marc Houle’s Profounding and Yello’s 1980’s track Heavy Whispers whilst the final track offers one of the few other diversions from the normal path of the mix. Everything else in between is neither here nor there. However that’s not to say it’s a complete waste of time. It bops and wiggles in true Magda style. It just needs a bit more zest along the way to differentiate itself from track to track like Dancing Machine was able to do.

If you’re a big fan of the clicky Minus sound then you’ll probably really love this mix. It does have robotic funk and is technically well put together. It just doesn’t make much of an impression after multiple listens with the listening experience being quite a throw away.

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Tracklist:
01. Goblin – Al Margini Della Follia / Bostro Pesopeo – Falls (Hercules & Love Affair Remix) / Marc Houle – Voices
02. Circlesquare – Non-Revival Alarm / Gaiser – mfnstmp
03. Magda – At The Gate / Artem Folevski – Empörung (Original Mix) / Groupshow – It’s Not Just Country Birds That Are Attracted (To The Blue Glass Bird Bath)
04. Cristian Vogel – Mungo / Magda – Draculan Love Attack
05. Goblin – Buio Omega (Alternate) / Magda – Moroder’s Revenge
06. Catorze – Luscofusco / Marc Houle – Deep Sea / Heartthrob – Miss Pig
07. Robert Babicz – Chordy / Madato – The Night’s Rumors
08. Click Box – Bad Fish (Magda Edit) / Boosty – Telescope
09. Artem Folevski – Guido / Isomer Transition – San Pellegrino
10. Hobo – 23:59 / Luciano – Saulitude
11. Marc Houle – Profounding / Yello – Heavy Whispers
12. Heartthrob – 101 Loop / Farben – Aufschlag/Abschlag
13. Hobo – Mobius Trip / Rafael Droors – Blue
14. Bruno Pronsato – We Were… / Arsenal – The Coming (Idjut Boys Version 2)
15. Jimmy Edgar – Beat Squared / Jan Jelinek – Tierbeobachtungen (Live Played By Anne Westphalen & Peter Ley)

The track selection on Temporary Secretary definitely reflects a similar approach that features on The Grandfather Paradox. He’s used tracks which revolve around a house come 4/4 base yet they all have their own diversely individual sounds. Dixon craftily blends each track with such flow and smoothness that the whole mix simply glides.

There’s no rushing this CD with things starting in carefully measured amounts. Fever Ray’s If I Had A Heart sets a deep warm tone with its multi layers of vocals and melodies. From there he melds into the spooky whistles of Roland Bocquet’s Exotique before slowly layering in the vibrating motif from Ame’s Tube Beats. It creates a fine build of tension before brilliantly releasing into a medley of Jazzanova’s Let Me Show Ya and Daniel Paul’s Something About You. Quite a mouthful to describe and that was just for three of the four opening tracks.

Things continue to shuffle along at a steady pace with Dixon keeping your attention through his intricate mixes and fascinating sounds. You’ve got the twinkling chimes combined with the lovely soulful vocals on Ewan Pearson’s remix of Hazel. They go up against the higgledy percussion of Kalabrese’s remix of Inferno Jack, creating a hypnotic and airy atmosphere that wonderfully sets up the beautiful melancholic melodies of Peter Kruder’s Law of Return for maximum impact.

Dixon then rounds off the second half of the mix in more familiar house territory. The infectious vocal loop and acid style riff on Good Voodoo sparks some serious toe tapping action, whilst the epic synths on Henrik Schwarz’s remix of Equinox and the haunting strings from Ame’s Setsa provide some great “eyes closed, lost in the music” moments.

This review took a long time to write because I just didn’t know what to think about this mix. Normally you can figure out what you think after a couple of listens but with this I just wasn’t sure what I thought. In fact I was probably leaning towards not really liking it. It didn’t seem to go anywhere and it was very hard work to listen to. But after persevering with a fair few more listens you start to see the detail and intricacy in which this mix has been so skilfully crafted. You start to learn the way it moves and breathes from one track to the next and ultimately you fall in love with its hidden depths and dynamics. It doesn’t hit the same mark as The Grandfather Paradox, but it doesn’t fall too far short. If you buy this CD, give it the time it deserves and it will be a great listen that you can keep coming back to. Like that old overused analogy goes – “it’s like a fine wine that gets better with age”.

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Tracklist:
01. Icasol – Ongou
02. Fever Ray – If I Had a Heart
03. Roland Bocquet – Exotique / Âme – Tube Beat
04. Jazzanova – Let Me Show Ya (Henrik Schwarz Remix) / Daniel Paul – Something About You (Instrumental)
05. Precious System – The Voice From Planet Love / Ben Klock – In a While
06. Junior Boys – Hazel (Ewan Pearson’s House Mix)
07. Butane – Inferno Jack (Kalabrese Remix)
08. Peter Kruder – Law Of Return
09. Kiki – Good Voodoo (Visionquest Remix)
10. Code 718 – Equinox (Henrik Schwarz Mix)
11. The Machine – Fuse
12. Cortney Tidwell – Watusii (Daphni remix)
13. Ame – Setsa
14. Tokyo Black Star – Sepiaphone