Renaissance owe their success in house music compilations to three DJs in particular - Dave Seaman, Sasha and John Digweed. Digweed and Sasha it was who teamed up for the groundbreaking first compilation in 1995, Digweed going it alone with an equally impressive three disc follow-up the year after.

Transitions is the name of Digweed's radio show - and promises to be a series for Renaissance in the same mould, with one mix for Digweed and a second part from a guest at the DJ's invitation.

This release represents Digweed's first homecoming since then, following many a mix for the Ministry of Sound, Global Underground and his own Bedrock label. In that period his style has economised somewhat, and darkened considerably, but the qualities that made those early mixes so absorbing are retained. Digweed's mixes have always had a sense of timelessness - even more so than Dave Seaman - so that after a few tracks the boundaries have been lost, the whole just one track pushing forward.

It happens again here, the tempo established with blah, and then the slow build begins. The subtle minimalism of Popnoname's On The Run is a highlight, Digweed now into his stride. The beats are then pared down, electro bass lines providing the forward momentum over straight, four to the floor house beats, but there's always a sense of progression and unresolved tension. David K's Beautiful Dead is even more basic in its melodic material, straightforward bass stabs and weird atmospherics that would sound odd out of context, but work well here.

Almost imperceptibly the tempo starts to rise with Dringer, and the bass sound begins to fill out, taking on funky overtones. This is expanded further with Rocco's spatial awareness, a hint of the Digweed style of old in the darkly cinematic strings. Trick & Kubic's Easy then taps into Bedrock-style chunky funk, with Digweed gearing things towards a pair of heavy, house/breaks hybrids to finish. This is where the hour that's gone before is either defined or rendered redundant, and in this instance Digweed secures a triumphant finish.

Dana Bergquist sets things up, Jetchi a trancey track with a warm, mellow sound over a simple beat. Then the concrete-heavy breaks of Paul Kalkbrenner take over, sporting a powerful bass loop, and we're there, with not an ounce of flab in sight.

Not his most commercial mix by any means, as Digweed is far more underground in his track selections these days. However it made me want to experience a live set from the DJ again, an indication of the spell he can still cast on a house music dancefloor, and showing why he continues to hold a high place in the DJ hall of fame.

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