Quite frankly I’m just pleased Renaissance flicked past the Dave Seaman and Satoshi Tomiie pages of their phonebook when they were shortlisting the DJ’s for the next Master’s Series. Not that I have anything against Dave or Satoshi and agreeably they are both indeed masters, but currently there is a stock of talented young DJ’s that have proven themselves as potential suitors to the Renaissance crown. The most notable and undeniably the most worthy of those is, of course, James Zabiela. The young apprentice has surpassed the hype that surrounded him following the endorsement of DJ royality and has established his unique style which provides a spectacle in clubs worldwide, along with refined knob-twiddling and twistlery on his CD mix exploits. Thanks to James Zabiela, a new blood of DJ’s are in the making, a generation not content with simply mixing tracks anymore – a suitable king and master, well selected Renaissance.
Previous Master’s Series heavy-weights have recognised the need to provide a collectors item, more than just a throwaway cover CD of tracks – an instant consumer classic. One of those CD’s that sits in your collection and is recalled from time to time to provide a solid listen, JZ certainly understood the attention to detail that such a mix requires. CD1 starts with some neat street bustle before the lead of Michna – Believe In It sets the mood and provides the chillout you can expect throughout the first disc. Spoken words aid the drop into Always Something Better and establish further the melancholy of the mix, some orderly scratching offers up some welcome funk. The familiar samples continue with an air steward clearly commanding some ‘seventies sci-fi’ synths, Kuriaki – Express would of had a suitable home on Jeff Wayne’s The War Of The Worlds – A dramatic masterpiece. Throughout CD1, there are interlaced samples from downtown streets, right through to cosmic whispers of teleportation. One such quote introduces the clippy percussion on Pattern 4 with atmospheric chords sustaining the mood. More fuzzy leads dominate the disc, a haunting theme that provides an intense listen. R3volve’s All That You Lost is probably the stand out track of the disc, its epic melody lifts the mix – dispelling the gloom of the opening half. An impressive transition into Meet Your Maker assists in this transformation. The closing quarter of the CD treats us to some drum n bass, Plaid’s Marry begins the tempo change before Quivver’s recent gem Chasing A Feeling rounds it off, the sombre melody of Departing Gate completes the disc. All in, the first disc is a satisfying still – expect a jump around from the second disc.
More effects, pads and vocal samples begin the second disc, before a distorted snare dumps us into the plonky driven rhythm of Komytea – Afghanistan plenty of saturation brings on the break which vigorously fills with acid. The rhythm builds further with a delayed kick before the main build puts your head somewhere between a fax modem and a shuttle launch – expect intergalactic invoices. As confusing as that explanation may be, it perfectly details the first track. Paul Woolford delivers another stomper and JZ’s switch plonks the mix straight back in the groove, this melody is killer. Reversed beats introduce a dirty sounding filtered synth, this synth and the melody duel throughout Surrender – it’s a battle that ends in the creation of a wicked track. Next up is the roaring bass of Extrawelt’s Added Planet and the zippy trippery of some trademark Zabiela scratching, the scratching is clever, adding a further percussive quality. The bass driven progression continues through Surface Scan and JZ’s own track Darkness 2, the latter featuring some insane chopped vocals and well composed poppy synth work. The flow picks up with techno Fins Komytea’s second feature on the disc, Professional Killers is a rocker with more looped vox and a wicked lead in the break – one for the rave lizards! Further vocal slicing from Nachtmensch and a thumping bass line will keep you bopping. So far removed from the first disc, the second is a definite rave mix installed with faultless programming of some quality techno. Energy Flash and Alex Millan’s Modern Love transcend proceedings into a more housey affair, Modern Love’s lead is heavy on the sustain and creates a wave of sound that is nicely punctuated by a slammin’ beat. Another of Zabiela’s tracks Perseverance follows before Luomo & Apparat get euphoric with Love You All. CD2 closes with Oliver Koletzki’s Since You Are Gone, finishing things nicely with the return of some choppy vocals and some serious filtering and slicing from JZ.
For me it’s a 9 out of 10, buy it and expect it to become a favourite.
Words: G. Johnson.
You can catch James’ second blog here.
