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When computer mixed house could blow your mind with infinite

Christopher Culver | 04/26/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"In 2006, after hosting the radio programme "Transitions" for a few years, DJ John Digweed began to release single-disc mixes twice a year representative of what he was playing over the airwaves. This TRANSITIONS disc was the first installment. Unfortunately, it is the first Digweed mix CD that has disappointed me.



I have to admit, I should have seen it coming. I've never found the "Transitions" radio program particularly compelling. It exists mostly to let Digweed experiment, and the goal is more to provide a background listening experience for the guy at home or work than a clubland aural journey. And these days Digweed is spinning a style that many are calling minimalist, slower and with even less development than his controversial 2000 Mayan Theatre sets represented on the Global Underground: Los Angeles retrospective. His sets also continue the trend of one track following another, with minimal computer editing. When Sasha released his Fundacion NYC mix in 2005, that should have pointed the way forward for a more rich and cerebral experience, with elements from multiple tracks pulled into the mix at once.



After the rousing beginning of Partial Arts' "Cruising" mixed into Every's "Feelin'", we proceed through half of disc of complete emptiness. Eventually Rocco's "Roots 4 Acid" and the following "Easy (Niekisch and Hermann Dub)" by Trick & Kubic ft. Valeska bring some excitement in. From there, howver, things stumble on without building up as much as they should in a single-disc mix. "Warung Beach", here represented in the Lützenkirchen Remix, is the first Bedrock track I've even heard that hasn't been stunning.



If you've not heard the solo work of John Digweed before, the Global Underground: Hong Kong retrospective is probably the most generally accessible starting point, although I favour the LA set."