- Balance 20, Deetron's mix CD from 2011, was a highlight in a series that had already included classics from Joris Voorn, James Holden and Will Saul, solidifying Sam Geiser's reputation as a DJ of no small skill. Glancing at the tracklist on fabric 76, it looks like he's trying to pull off the same thing again, given that a few of the artists he selects also appeared on Balance 20, with Redshape and Ripperton covering tech house, Osunlade adding a dash of deep house, and a track featuring Thom Yorke showcasing Geiser's eclectic streak (much as "Ego," the Radiohead frontman's collaboration with Four Tet and Burial, did on that other mix).
Yorke's voice slithers in with Atoms For Peace's Afrobeat-tinged "Before Your Very Eyes." This tune forms part of fabric 76's final section, which begins with Marcel Dettman's remix of Moderat's "Bad Kingdom" and marks the most obvious difference between this release and Balance 20. While that mix remained pumping throughout, here Geiser brings both the lights and the pace down with 25 minutes that are the best stretch of any fabric mix in a while, blending Moderat with Caribou's Beach Boys-style psychedelia, Joe's discordant "Slope" and Function's bleakly beautiful soundscape "Falling The Same Way (Dommune Version)," and reaching an epic climax with Nils Frahm's "Says."
So good is that final run that you're tempted to skip straight to it the next time you listen to fabric 76. But that would miss the main part of a mix that bounces between eras and various strains of house, from vintage Detroit in E-Dancer's "The Move" to the carnival vibe of Marquis Hawkes' Basement Jaxx-esque "Honey Kisses." Overall, it comes pretty darn close to taking you to the same heights Deetron does on the dance floor, without ever quite making it all the way.
Tracklist01. Johnny Blas - Picadillo (Carl Craig's Breakdown Version)
02. Jaime Read - Timewave
03. Baba Stiltz - Palats
04. SoulPhiction - Mind & Body
05. DJ Sneak - Who's Knocking
06. Juxta Position - Mercy
07. Redshape - Finizh
08. Ripperton - Searchin 4 You
09. Greg Beato - Who’s The Licho In Charge Ovaa Here
10. Tom Trago - Elite
11. Seven Davis Jr. - One
12. Galaxy 2 Galaxy - Timeline
13. Afefe Iku feat. Osunlade - Bodydrummin
14. Marquis Hawkes - Honey Kisses
15. Gemini - New Style Of
16. Presk - Rais
17. Ondo Fudd - There Will Be A Time
18. Four Tet & Terror Danjah - Nasty
19. Seiji - More Of You
20. E-Dancer - The Move
21. Moderat - Bad Kingdom (Marcel Dettmann Remix)
22. Caribou - Irene
23. Joe - Slope
24. Atoms For Peace - Before Your Very Eyes…
25. Function - Falling The Same Way (Dommune Version)
26. Design A Wave - Weird F
27. Juxta Position - Mercy (Loop)
28. Nils Frahm - Says