The distinctive stylistic fusion between James Zabiela and Nic Fanciulli on “One+One” is, to say the least, impressive. The two DJ’s, whose individual styles remain significantly different and distinct from one another, are complementary in ways I can only ascribe to the same such collaborative aspects of Sasha and John Digweed’s endeavors. “One+One” is strange, for the first mix is rightfully ambient – smooth, not only in mixing but in the purity of the sound quality and music itself. Smooth as silk. The two styles, one breakbeat/house and the other progressive/minimal-tech, fuse together and flowers into what is one of the most unpredictable and downright weird mixes I have heard in a long time. The One+One combination blooms immediately and does not wilt with the heat and scrutiny of repeated listens.

Disc one casts off with One+One’s ‘Rover’, at once ambient and electrically charged in a subtle fashion. It doesn’t take more than a minute for a beat to drop, crisp and pleasing to the ears. Like a winding river, Rover’s bassline slithers smoothly into formation, completing the necessarily sluggish introduction to this highly anticipated double disc mix. Manipulating the decks with deft precision seems to be no problem for the pair of rising EDM stars, though I feel that for a release so fresh and as highly anticipated that it was unwise of the duo to choose two relatively dated and familiar songs, including Deep Dish’s “Stay Gold” and the overly-repetitious “To Ya Waistline” to help kick-off the album’s first disc after Rover. Yet, by the time JZ’s edit of “The Way We Swing” melds into the mixture, we’re all beginning to move a bit. One+One creates an atmosphere whereby the constant movement between smoothly thumping club music and transient ambience is not at all uncomfortable. M.A.N.D.Y.’s Pusher Remix of “Push Push” is another tune I am familiar with, but this one flows well with the melody that has thus far been established. Some really decent tracks which caught my attention on the first mix are “Analog Sparkles,” “Love it” and the One+One version of James Zabiela’s “Human.” James represents his home-grown style with this one and reminds the listener that it is two individuals working with one another to perform, and not a single entity. I am always happy to see “Soothe” appear in a mix, and it does so at the end of mix one. Its smooth and minimal appearance (that I am sure was inspired by Fanciulli) delights the senses and aids in bringing the eccentricity of the first mix to commendable closure. But wait! Beware of “Think of Love.” I did not expect such an impassioned and diverse song to wrap things up: Middle-Eastern and wild, yet coherent and thoroughly enjoyable.

The second mix is the most musical fun I have had since M.A.N.D.Y.’s “At the Controls” release. I think the second mix’s aura is wacky and frenetic – hell, listen to the opening track “SimonSis1″! Zabiela went to town on the sampling here. Again, for me, the key-words that describe the musical timbre of this mix are “smooth,” and “silky,” but all of these stupendous elements are background operations now, allowing for the ensuing madness to take to the fore-front. “Being Stoopid” lethargically slides into “Give Me Luv/Erotic Discourse” (JZ Erotic Luv Mash-Up), raising the wackiness bar to rather unbelievable heights: Even better, we’re allowed to bat-around a bit with Fanciulli’s own “Cat Out of the Bag (Jim Rivers Cat Nap Mix),” which steadily gains momentum while pursuing a melody that leaves me feeling as if it had been delivered from outer space for my listening pleasure. “Work It” shows Zabiela’s wizardry at fooling with the decks again, arbitrarily dropping sick beats into a slick stew of what has now become an EDM frenzy. The Hi-Fi Bugs add a significant techy-prog number with “Don’t Die, Don’t Kill Anyone,” a track whose funky flavor negates making necessary the intriguing track title! Further tracks to note as you traverse down this wacky, unorthodox trail (like watching Alice in Wonderland!) include… well, the whole rest of the disc, to be honest. It is rare that I make the following statement, but EVERY SINGLE track on the second mix adds its part in what amounts to be quietly irresistible madness. There will be no skipping of tracks, here.

But wait! There’s more.

The duo prepared a special third bonus mix that is accessible via the internet. The third mix amounts to what I consider a 45-minute combination of the first and second mixes. The first 25 minutes are so slowly paced with a repetitive melody; I sometimes find myself bored with it, but it should be considered a necessity to those of you who enjoy falling asleep to music. By the 28 minute mark, the mix’s speed picks up with some spoken-word insertions, and then *wham* – it’s off to Zabiela World for another blissful fifteen minutes. Within these fifteen mixes lies everything the second mix was perhaps meant to be and more, since it is so finely condensed and thus leaps and bounds more accessible. I feel the obligation to point out the sexy house bass on the second half of the third mix because for me, it makes the second half what it is.

A superbly smooth, wild and fun recording mixed by two of the world’s finest, the musical journey that is One+One is sure not to leave my stereo for months to come. In this case, One + One equals five; five stars out of five, that is.

Below, the tracklist for the third mix is included.

~James Woodruff

1. PJ Davy “Overwhelmed and Undercover”
2. Dextro “Calcutec” (Consequence Music)
3. The Field “Kapsta” (Kompakt)
4. Octogen “Cside” (Droido Mix) (Soma)
5. Repeat Repeat “Home Stop Welcome” (Soma)
6. The Beat Droids “Does It Annoy You?”
7. Tom Middleton “Shinkansen” (Life Tracks)
8. Pure Underground “Rising”
9. Edison “In The End”