|
For someone who sees himself as a producer first and a DJ only a long way behind that, Ewan Pearson is doing a pretty good job at playing records for a living. With this mix for Fabric, he has released two commercial projects in the space of two years, more than some of the world’s most established DJ’s have managed to do in their whole careers. But, his talents as an inventive and respected producer have meant that he is in high demand both on record and behind a mixer. The advancement in DJ technology and the application of programmes like Ableton Live has allowed producers, like Ewan Pearson, to showcase their record collections in both a functional and inspiring manner that may not have been possible through traditional DJ techniques. It was evident on his acclaimed Sci.Fi.Hi.Fi mix for Soma, released back in 2005, and it is evident once more on Fabric 35. This mix may lack the variety of Sci.Fi.Hi.Fi, but it more than makes up for it with a far greater dancefloor profile, with darker and deeper techno workings.
It is really nice to hear a mix that contains sustained periods of club techno that side steps sparse arrangements, instead preferring a wider and fresher spectrum of sounds. Pearson infuses the mix with a liberal supply of vocals, and apart from the weak display on the opening track ‘Ali McBils’ from Jahcoozi, they compliment the underlining grooves. Nottingham’s Leftroom Records inject some darkness as the mix takes off, with Marc Houle remixing Marc Ashken with more warmth that we have come to expect from his productions.
Ewan Pearson’s application of vocals is most convincing when Konrad Black’s superb mix of ‘Honeymoon’s Over’ by Snax drops. Things develop soon after with intense peak time ryhtmns from Lee Burridge and Andy Page on AA. The mix naturally subsides from this high with the melodic qualities of 100 Hz and ‘Trustlove’. The simple but effective arrangement on this record sits somewhere between the high tech soul of Derrick May and the deepest house from Derrick Carter, and as you can imagine is simply sublime.
The intensity is never far away and returns courtesy of Laven and MSO before sequential innovation of the highest order commences with the electronic ‘Plastik’. Simon Baker’s finest production to date expertly weaves with the hugely underrated producer Samuel L Sessions, with Ewan Pearson selecting ‘Can You Relate’ from an impressive recent catalogue on Klap Klap. Paris The Black Fu, from the excellent Detroit Grand Pubahs, continues his good lyrical form fresh from Deetron’s mighty ‘Afterlife’. The techno surge is extended thanks to the inclusion of Johannes Heil’s ‘All For One’, modified with great effect by Tobi Nuemann for Klang, as Ewan Pearson continues to experiment with the technology available. Tracklist:
01. Jahcoozi – Ali McBills (Robert Johnson 6am X-Ray Italo Rework) – Careless
02. MarcAshken – Nimrod (Marc Houle Is A Nimrod Remix) - Leftroom
03. Gui.tar – Push In The Bush - Careless
04. Snax – Honeymoon’s Over (Konrad Black Mix) - Terranova
05. Jens Zimmermann – Tranquillité – K2
06. Liquid Liquid – Bellhead - DFA
07. Lee Burridge and Dan F – Treat ‘em Mean, Keep ‘em Keen (Exercise One, Mix 2) – Almost Anonymous
08. 100 Hz – Trustlove – Hi-Phen Music Delivery
09. Samim – Paspd ft. Big Bully – Circus Company
10. Laven & MSO – Looking For God - Klang
11. Simon Baker – Plastik - Infant
12. Samuel L Sesssions ft. Paris The Black Fu – Can You Relate – Klap Klap
13. Johannes Heil – All For One (Tobi Neumann’s Swinging Remix) - Klang
14. Kaos – Panopeeps (Origin) - Lektroluv
15. Beanfield “Tides” – C’s Movement #1 (Carl Craig Remix) - Compost
**. Aril Brikha – Berghain - Kompakt |
The mix becomes close to unbelievable as it finishes - with the simply amazing techno soul of ‘Panopeeps’ by former Terranova member Kaos overwhelming your audio senses, before Carl Craig’s classic remix of Beanfield’s ‘Tides’ enters the soundscape. This remix is very special, even though many electronic fans may have overlooked it when it was originally released in the summer of 2004.
Ewan Pearson has gone on tape to state an interest in trying to combine records to create a new and original groove and, as Fabric 35 closes, he achieves such a combination - by merging the vocal current of ‘Tides’ with the deep techno of Aril Brikha’s homage to Berlin’s legendary club ‘Berghain’. It is a treat in itself having a true techno innovator on display, and with Aril regularly releasing records again the deeper sound is going to be so enticing this year. The soundclash of these separately excellent records results in probably the finest moment in Fabric’s CD history. It is experimentation that is beyond any written description, and speaks volumes for Pearson sequencing skill, regardless of the techniques that achieved it. It elevates an exceptional mix to a level that will be hard to replicate. Essential listening.
|
Email to a friend