Krafty Kuts - FabricLive. 34 (Fabric)

The FabricLive series has celebrated some really amazing output since its launch seven years ago. The monthly (!) compilation releases started in November 2001, by the London based nightclub Fabric. Alternating monthly between Fabric and FabricLive series, the club's offshoot label has covered a diversity of genres, from tech house to drum'n'bass, from dubstep to hip hop, from electro to disco. The mixed compilations feature an excellent roster of DJs and artists spearheading stylistic underground and commercial movements. Some of my most recent favorite FabricLive mixes feature Noisia, Caspa & Rusko, Spank Rock, High Contrast and DJ Craze. This 34th release (June 2007), is put together by Martin Randal, who goes by the name of Krafty Kuts. Randal is a Brighton (England) based electronic breakbeat producer and a DJ. In the last three years, he has has won the "Best DJ" title from the Breakspoll Awards. And this compilation does not under-perform. Krafty Kuts pulls out his crate favorites, like old-skool rap from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and funky electro from Milke. The production is top notch, the mixing is of course superb, and the sounds are super fresh. I especially love Krafty's layering of acappellas over other instrumentals to create new sounds and essentially remixes. Artists appearing on the mix include Tim Deluxe, DJ Icey, Plump DJ's, Madox, Aquasky, Freestylers, and Primal Scream among the many. I was last this excited about the FabricLive album when I reviewed The Herbaliser's contribution towards 26th volume. Perfect for a weekend drive. Recommended if you want to catch up on the latest breakbeat sound. And I'm sure I'll be raving about other FabricLive releases pretty soon.



myspace.com/djkraftykuts | superchargedmusic.com
myspace.com/fabricfamily | fabriclondon.com

The Herbaliser - FabricLive.26 (Fabric)

I've been trying to chase down this mixed compilation for a couple of months now. Ever since I saw that The Herbaliser (Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba) contributed a mix towards London nightclub's Fabric label. Known for their trip-hop, downtempo, and jazz infused instrumental hip-hop tracks, The Herbaliser got signed to Ninja Tune back in 1995, and since then been a resident for the label's staple sound. Their last appearance was a 7" single on Skyline Recordings, as well as a track contribution (Gadget Funk) towards a 2008 triple CD  sampler from Ninja Tune, You Don't Know: Ninja Cuts. For the FabricLive.26 mix, The Herbaliser took a step back from downtempo sound to make a party mix. And what a mix it is. The turntable skills are flawless, but it is the track selection that makes this an instant gem for me. I feel it is my duty to take you on a quick tour of this genre-spanning collection of classics. We start off with ragga  track by Million Dan, moving quickly into dirty UK hip-hop, then a track by RJD2 and a label mate appearance by Dynamic Syncopation. Blufoot and Yungun add some North London rhymes followed by a classic Hurby's Machine with Antoinette. On track 8 (out of 24), we break down into James Brown! From here on The Herbaliser rock the tables with some funk, electro, and of course, soul. We've got J Rocc, old-skool breakbeat track from Demon Boyz, and even a 1971 soul disco from The Jackson 5! The Roots kick in with Boom! at track 21, and Dynamix II treats us to an '87 vocoder electro classic. We barely finish with some crunk from Diplo, as Bugz In The Attic contributes the last broken beat. Whew! It's a doozy! Thank you, Herbaliser, thank you!

herbaliser.com | myspace.com/theherbz
fabriclondon.com | myspace.com/fabricfamily

Ricardo Villalobos - Fabric 36 (Fabric)

The label created by the London’s club Fabric, and known for their mix CDs, featuring sounds from some staple names like Carl Craig, Adam Beyer, and even John Digweed, brings you its 36th installment of minimal tech house by Ricardo Villalobos. Born in Santiago, Chile, Villalobos moved to Germany at the age of three. At the age of 24 (1994) he released his first EP on Playhouse, followed by a debut LP almost 9 years later, titled Alcachofa, on the same label. Since then, Villalobos has been enjoying a stream of consistent quality minimal, micro, and tech house releases. Villalobos’ three other aliases are Bispeed Black, Richard Wolfsdorf, and Termiten; his most notable collaborations include Social Being with Justin McNulty, and Ric Y Martin with Santiago born Martin Schopf (aka Dandy Jack). Fabric 36 is a continuous mix, compiled of mostly Villalobos’ tracks and mixed by himself - it thus can be treated as an album. The rhythms are simple, light and groovy, and I loose myself in the hypnotic sound over and over, as the tracks effortlessly blend into one another, and ride on. This may come off counter-intuitive for some critics of techno, but I often use such minimal sound as a tool: to relax, clear my mind, and on occasion even cure a headache. Recommended if you like Matthew Dear (False), Dominik Eulberg, Marc Houle and Gabriel Ananda.

myspace.com/ricardovillalobos00 | cocoon.net
myspace.com/fabricfamily | fabriclondon.com