(04.28.08) DJ mixes are a dime a dozen. Often, they are little more than the random personal taste of one with an extensive record collection, aimed squarely at a particular niche of receptive listeners. Many have staked entire careers on this concept, and when the result breaks conventional wisdom (see also: DJ Surgeon), it’s a welcome treat. Kompact, Germany’s de facto minimal house label, releases DJ Jennifer Cardini’s third overall release and her first for Kompact in the hopes that her most recent work
will shine. Thankfully, it does.
As a former raver, I’ve found that a wide swath of DJ mixes seem to tread the same territory across one single release, and often times that’s what’s desired. However, unless one is feeling specifically attuned to that genre or even that single DJ, such mixes don’t lend themselves to repeated listens. Cardini, hailing from France, provides a distinctly french house sensibility in the vein of Dmitri from Paris that successfully breaks out of DJ banality. Feeling Strange, while at its core a minimal house mix, meanders pleasantly through different styles. The result is akin to a light rail travel through France and into Europe. It is somewhat difficult to determine precisely when one song ends and another begins, which is a testament to effective track choice in her mix as well as her ability to transition smoothly between songs.
What’s more, it’s actually enjoyable to skip around on the CD. While Feeling Strange finds its most powerful voice when played start to finish, the songs chosen for Cardini’s Kompact debut are individually fresh and funky. Many different bass synth riffs, percussive elements, and bass drum kicks are used to great effect, and the choice of ending with Lusine & Apparat is a wise one. I may not find myself listening to Feeling Strange on a daily basis, but I do find myself listening to it more than I have any other DJ mix in recent memory.
Feeling Strange is out now on Kompact. [Purchase
