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John Digweed - Transitions
(Renaissance)
Release Date:
Reviewed: 7/10
The latest compilation offering from John Digweed always had a lot to live up to. Stretching as far back as first The Mix Collection for Renaissance, through the blissed out breaks of Northern Exposure Vol 1, the deep melodies of Expeditions and the cool housey sounds of GU14, he has always managed to conjure up something special for his mixes. Digweed teams up with old friends at Renaissance to write the next chapter in his musical book; a new biannual series called Transitions. As you would expect, the tracklisting reflects Digweed’s new sound. We are eased into the mix with ‘Cruising’ from Partial Arts (a pseudonym for Ewan Pearson and Al Usher). The track manages to balance its twisted, warped effects with a strangely warm and relaxed bassline. The dizzying effects of ‘Cruising’ continue into the second track, ‘Feelin’ by Every. Up next is Popnoname’s ‘On The Run’; a cool, summery workout that invokes mental images of barbeques and sun kissed beaches. Somewhat surprisingly, given recent John Digweed sets, the mix then swings into slightly more familiar territory with a progressive cut by the wonderfully named Margot Meets The Melody Maker. The detour does not last long as the bleeps and squeaks of Tigerskin’s ‘Neontrance’ enter the fray, backed up by the addictive chords and spiralling synths of Catwash ‘Plastic Rubberband’. The smooth strings and busy kick of ‘Roots 4 Acid’ by Rocco provide another progressive interlude before the mix slides into a more upbeat section, with On Spec’s ‘Knights of Columbia’ and Lutzenkirchen’s remix of John Digweed’s own ‘Warung Beach’ leading the way. Michel de Hey’s ‘Jetchi’ is one of the standout tracks on the CD, rich in groove and melody that rides the line between house and progressive with complete confidence. The delightful keys of Dana Bergquist’s ‘McEnroe’ and Paul Kelkbrunner’s ‘Gebrunn Gebrunn’ end the CD on a real high. The first Transitions compilation is firm proof, if any was needed, that Digweed’s style has undergone a sea-change in the past couple of years. Progressive house, as Digweed himself so often asserts, is not a genre but philosophy; a philosophy of pushing musical boundaries. With Transitions he moves his sound away from the deep mnelodics of the late 1990s and early part of the new millennium, into an arena influenced by traditional house sounds and electro. Nods to the past are still evident but this is a new Digweed; fans of his older style may be disappointed in the CD as a whole but there is enough within the compilation to open a few ears.
Simon Ross [18-May-2006]
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