(07.09.06) This is an absolutely top notch mix from dance producer and Border Community label boss James Holden. DJ sets from the realms of progressive house have become unusually permissive over the past 5 years – you had big names like Sasha mixing in Kompakt artists and the like – and Holden ventures into much more diverse territory. While a lot of interesting contemporary dance producers are represented, Holden manages to seamlessly lead us from old Plastikman numbers through one of those Mad Professor mixes of Massive Attack to IDM tracks from Aphex, Slag Boom Van Loon and Christ.. He even finds a good occasion to slip in a track from Fennesz’s Venice (Touch).
The two CDs here are clearly some kind of studio excursion, with a large dose of editing and effects ensuring that even tracks you’ve heard before sound fresh in the mix. I’ve never felt the desire to skip a track once while listening to either CD, which is nothing short of astounding given the diversity of the material Holden’s working with. Of course we still have 6 months to go, but I’d be amazed if a better mix was released this year.
At The Controls is out now on Resist. (Buy it at Amazon.com)
