Carl Craig & Sonja Moonear ‎- Cocoon Ibiza

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  • I've never been to Amnesia on a Monday night, but thanks to Cocoon In The Mix, I have an idea about what it might be like. If Carl Craig's half of the latest instalment in the long-running series is anything to go by, it doesn't sound particularly appealing. Sonja Moonear's disc, however, makes it sound like one of the best parties going. Both DJs take different approaches on their efforts for this summer's edition of Cocoon Ibiza, which likely speaks to the breadth of sounds heard at the party behind it. For many, clubbing in Ibiza is about big records, big rooms and big moments, which is what Craig seems to be going for. So some club-goers could find this mix rather cheesy, despite many of its selections (DJ Deep, Mark Broom, Floorplan) being on techno's classy side. The whole thing gets right in your face, with big chords and a relentless energy sustained by hammering kicks and rapidfire track selection. It's mixed flawlessly, of course, with tunes spliced together in a multitude of ways. But Craig's one-dimensional approach seems tailored for impatient listeners. The tracks themselves aren't given room to breathe, so otherwise powerful music becomes lost in a mess of melody, tough kicks and sub-bass. Moonear's half is more restrained, but still tougher than what she's likely to play in her club sets outside Ibiza. She's one of the sharpest, most technical house DJs out there, with a pin-point style that injects energy into every transition. Like some top-tier techno DJs, she seems in total control of each new element, resulting in a steady groove that sparks with every track. She serves up Cocoon Ibiza's least obvious selections, which include older tunes from the late (and much-loved) Dana Kelley, Steve O'Sullivan and little-known Icelandic producer Plastic. Lean and strong, Moonear's mix is mostly grounded in tough house and tech house. But two-thirds in, tracks by XDB and Anthony Parasole flirt with full-blown techno, which feels unnecessary given the time constraints. The mix's final section is pleasantly sentimental, thanks in no small part to Alex Picone's "M9," a pumping and melodic tune that somehow captures the feeling of '80s synth pop. In this instalment of Cocoon In The Mix, Moonear easily steals the show.
  • Tracklist
      CD 1 (Carl Craig) 01. Luca Ballerini - Impressions Of A Dawn (Alba In 4/4) - (C2 Intro Edit) 02. DJ Pierre - What Is House Muzik (Ricardo Villalobos What Is Remix) 03. Luciano - 7 Directions (Dennis Ferrer Drum Mix) 04. Publicist - Spread It Around 05. DJ Deep - Surge 06. Mark Fancuilli - Can You Translate 07. Mark Broom - Decay 08. Floorplan - Push On 09. Adventice - Chop Chop 10. Nicole Moudaber & Skin - Someone Like You (C2 Remix) 11. Oxia - Domino 12. Joao Ceser - 5th Dimension 13. Chymera - Episode 14. Luca Ballerini - Impressions Of A Dawn (Alba In 4/4) 15. Agoria - Speechless (C2 Remix) CD 2 (Sonja Moonear) 01. Elbee Bad - New Age House 02. Ralphi Rosario's Energy Factor - Music, Music (The I Humped Mix) 03. Brett Johnson & Cpen - You Got Me Going Crazy (Berlin Dub) 04. Franck Roger & D'julz - Dubwize 05. DKMA - Creepin 06. The Mingers - Emancipation (The Mingers Button Dub) 07. Plastic - Translated Translations Translated 08. Alex Under - Gris 09. The Wise Caucasian - Darkside 10. The Persuader - Vattungarna 11. Jonsson/Alter - Djup House (Dorisburg Remix) 12. XDB - Gate 13. Anthony Parasole - Wild Life 14. John Tejada - Fourier Transform 15. Alex Piccone - M9 16. Andy Rantzen - 98% 17. Ricardo Villalobos & Argenis Brito - Amnesia
RA