April 2008

John Digweed - “Transitions Vol. 4” - Renaissance

After my review of Vol. 3, most readers could probably tell that I might be a little excited to hear the next installment in this highly acclaimed series. One of the things I love the most about these CD’s is how John Digweed takes numerous songs that I like, but then re-edits and layers them in ways I had never imagined. Even the track markers now reflect passages instead of individual tracks constructing 22 records into 10. While each track is very solid, personally favorites include Henry Saiz – “From Empty Lands”, Guy J – “Geko” plus Jerome Sydenham and Tiger Stripes – “Evolution.” This is definitely a studio creation as the mixing becomes so complex at certain points; it would be impossible to do live. However, the creativity and attention to detail are incredible and make for a very enjoyable listen. It’s absolutely brilliant!!!

Cedric Gervais - “Space Miami Terrace” - Yoshitoshi

In just a short period of time, Cedric Gervais has virtually made his name synonymous with Miami thanks in part to his much talked about early hour sets at the Space Terrace. Disc 1 starts with a few celebrity DJ shout outs then quickly moves into a lot of deep and sexy music that I was unfamiliar with beforehand. Some of the standouts include Backdoor – “Patch Park” and Semi – “Dubboso.” Disc 2 features a lot of the great artists that have made Yoshitoshi so successful over the years such as KOT, Dean Coleman and Lexicon Avenue. There is also a new song from Sharam called “Secret Parkway” and from George Morel called “Let’s Take Drugs” featuring creative speech sampling from our current president, George W. Bush. After one listen, it’s easy to see why readers of this very magazine voted Cedric last year as one of America’s Best DJ’s.

Mark Brown & Micky Slim - “Live & Direct” - Cr2 Records

When I first opened this package, I must admit that I thought it was a bit of an odd pairing, but after listening to both CD’s, I am rather happy that it did happen. Disc 1 mixed by Mark Brown is a nice blend of melodic minimal tracks from Pryda and John Dalhback together with big room monsters from Steve Angello and more underground techy sounds courtesy of the Freax Bros and Paul Woodford. It is a great way to warm you up for what happens next. Disc 2 mixed by Micky Slims certainly will test your speakers with plenty of in your face bass sounds from the remixing styles of Dave Robertson and Stupid Fresh. Not to mention new remixes from the man himself including his highly sought after House Of Pain remix with a brand new re-edit. Micky also showcases his fantastic remix of Mark’s new track, “The Journey Continues” featuring former St. Etienne singer Sarah Cracknell. This is an excellent listen from start to finish.