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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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