COMPILATIONSREVIEWS
Jozif Balance Presents Balance
8.5 Tearful tribute
RESTING solely on a mix series has rapidly become a rare pursuit for a label with the dawn of Soundcloud, yet it’s something Australia’s Balance Music is more than happy to continue to do. If it’s worked so far, why fix it? For the big guns, the likes of Panorama Bar, Ministry Of Sound and Fabric, DJ compilations are a useful way of reinforcing the quality of their stock. For Balance, however, they are the bread and butter of its business. Joining
the ongoing ‘Balance’ series (now 22- strong), we now have the new ‘Balance Presents’ project, aimed at introducing lesser-known artists and in the process slingshotting them to underground stardom. Taking the mantle first is Jozif, hardly a new name on the circuit. With tunes on Wolf + Lamb, Crosstown Rebels and Culprit under his belt, he wouldn’t generally be considered an unknown one either. However, what the mix does is reveal a different side to a
producer recognized for low-slung dirty funk/disco productions and a knack for moving dancefloors. Despite readying his original, more party-friendly effort to the point of clearing tracks ahead of its release, Jozif took a dramatic U-turn at the tragic news of close friend Martin Dawson’s death, pledging to rip it up and start again in favor of a slow-burning, chest- clenching effort far more reflective of his sombre mood.
The result is a gradual journey aching with pathos, pieced together graciously. Fittingly featuring the subject’s shoegazing collab with Glimpse, ‘Our Friends Electric’, alongside opaque tech soul from Burning Tears and Steffi, before moving into more dancefloor- geared material from Sam Wallace and his own ‘BT’s 3’/’BT’s 5’ material, the mix never quite shakes off its lament — it’s mournful mood informing an absorbing listen
throughout.Adam Saville
8.0
Various Rebel Rave 3: Mixed By Subb-an Crosstown Rebels Rebel force
You’d maybe think, as this three-disc collection is actually intended to celebrate a decade of Damian Lazarus’s Crosstown Rebels, some kind of stand-alone ‘greatest hits’ album might have been in order. A lavishly-packaged affair with a limited edition tea towel. But instead, the celebrations have been absorbed into the three-album-old ‘Rebel Rave’ series. Labels have made much more noise about less. Good for them. Best to spend time getting on with the business of dance music. This is a solid compendium of the indomitable imprint’s best work of the last year, so includes selections from Amirali (the ace MK mix of ‘Just An Illusion’), Infinity Ink (the anthemic ‘Infinity’) and Fur Coat (the fabulous ‘You and I’). There’s also finely-crafted stuff from Maceo Plex, Laura Jones, Mathew Jonson, Art Department, the whole crew, in fact, along with a superb mix supplied by Subb-an. Top drawer. Ben Arnold
094
djmag.com
Various 20 Jahre Kompakt Kompakt Not a Best Of!
Before you go moaning about this or that classic cut which hasn’t made it onto this 20 years of Kompakt CD, the accompanying PR points out it is staunchly “not a Best Of”. Rather, the label has assessed more than 500 releases from the last two decades and picked out their proudest moments and most forgotten gems. Along the way there are any number of micro-genre-defining releases that sound as good today as they did on first release. Consider the likes of Justin Kohncke’s ‘2 After 909’ with its smeared melodies and micro-beats, the bristling and distinctly Latin loops of Matias Aguayo’s ‘Welter Neff’ or the stripped but monstrous minimalism of Wighnomy Brothers’ ‘Wurz & Blosee’ — few other labels could churn out such a diverse array of sounds yet still maintain an identity after 20 years of doing so. Kristan Caryl
9.0
8.0
Various Colour Series: Black 10 Freerange Range Rover
Freerange has never been one to grab you by the scruff of the neck and spit bile — the concluding installment of the ‘Colour Series’ (‘Black 10’) is no exception. Melodic and timeless, though? Yes. Always. Opening with Nebraska’s dainty disco-informed remix of Salvatore Freda, followed by filtered goodness from Willie Graff & Tuccillo and bulbous deep house from boss Jimpster, the collection delivers all the substance expected from the imprint without reinventing the wheel or disrupting the cosmos. Other highlights include Detroit Swindle’s excellent homage to Chicago, ‘I Gotta Know’, and the deep strings of Sebo K’s remix of Sam Matters, proving Freerange still has ears for chunkier, more upfront house styles. All the quality you’d expect from such a distinguished label — plus a little
extra.Lisa Loveday
7.0
Various Anjunabeats Volume 10 Anjunabeats No sign of slowing down
Anjuna, the notorious Goan party village, has changed a lot in the last 13 years, but its musical identity and legacy still remain. The same can be said of Anjunabeats, the label named after the nearby famous beach by big-hitting UK trance trio Above & Beyond in 2000. Whilst the label has expanded, gladly exploring more progressive ideas, it still retains an unmistakable Anjunabeats vibe in everything it does. Certainly no bad thing, as ‘Volume 10’ of the label compilation demonstrates, covering trance styles from big room euphoria, to ambient and melodic, to rawer dance-primed tracks. There are four, solid (new) cuts from A&B themselves and a cast of recognizable names like Arty and Super8 & Tab, but it’s Anjunabeats’ risk-takers, such as Andrew Bayer’s chunky electro jitters and a robotic techno twist from Oliver Smith, that shine brightest on this creative comp. Tristan Parker
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