Customer Reviews

Bedrock: Compiled and Mixed By Jimmy Van M

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This release is way overdue. As part of Balance Promote Group, Jimmy Van Malleghem (along with Chris Fortier) booked tours for Sasha and John Digweed in the mid-90s, frequently playing with them. On their Communicate he appeared several times (in name and as part of Freelance Icebreakers), while his thumping breakbeat track `Forget Time' was one of 2000s unheard gems. Now throw in the fact his `Sanctuary' tune was the monstrous MVP of John Digweed's Global Underground: Los Angeles mix, and, like I said, this release becomes way overdue.

From a man who's own work is intricately structured and genre-defying, it's no surprise that Bedrock is a similar statement of style; moody, edgy, and experimental to the extent it explores the boundaries of conventional dance. The bubbling off-kilter minimalism of `Night Stalker' and silvery whispers of `Late Night' steer a course on disc 1 of atypical beat patterns and abundant effects-box noises shaped into melody. Gibberish voices and bombastic alien sounds propel `Heavy Fluid,' `Control of Sound,' and the prime time `Lacuna,' cleverly choosing loud over fast to peak a set. Amidst this off-worldly design, Jimmy van M`s`Love Like Sleep' drops the disco-funkiest bassline in some time, a cracking dub cut that vastly improves on the full-vocal original.

It's almost a shame that disc two plays less inspired (more traditional, pending your viewpoint) than the ab-fab first. Stripped of the excess sheen, `Janiero' and `Soulfeel' opt for a more languid pace and tranquil tone. DJ-favorite Junkie XL's `Bon Voyage' adds some expected kick near the close of what is essentially a lukewarm closing spin.

All a bit too cool for it's own good? Perhaps. Let's call it brain trance, then, and an exhilarating cleanse of palette to your dance floor collection. Not quite the musical revelation expected, but oh so close. Disc one: 5 stars Disc two: 3 stars Overall: 4.5

short version:

buy it right now.

listen to it, enshrine it, & make little animal sacrifices to it.

long version:

no doubt one of the best, if not the very best compilation of 01. jimmy van m, perhaps best known as squire and partner in crime to the dynamic duo of sasha & digweed, has long championed a style of dark, borderline tribal trance that sways between beat-ladden minimalism and melodic excess. much of the popularity he has acquired so far has been by proxy--most folks naturally associate him with his bedrock seniors. worse, his trance nation america effort in cooperation with another of east-coast's best djs, taylor, failed to garner and huge hubbub.

what pity.

i'm the last person in the world to deride digweed's impeccable beatmatching or sasha's subtlety, but van mulligam's unobstrusive mixing and splendid selection makes him my favorite of the three. yes, really. that good--and once we get to talking about the track selection, it gets even better.

cd 1 is a masterful exercise in subtle musical progression, from brooding and tribal to percussion-driven, chord-ladden funk and back to rolling, dark & dirty beats.

israel's hottest producing team, moshic & zeidan, open with a slow building, eerie gem--nightstalker--which blends into the echoing whispers of 'late night,' by floppy sounds. remixers du jour john creamer & stephane k contribute an appropriately dark remix of ecvm's 'circuit breaker,' and then we're off to funkbeatland: yum-yum's william borroughs-inspired 'heavy fluid' and prototype's 'control of sound' wind their way around splendid chords, aggressive percussion and vocal samples.

the disk peaks with blackwatch's incredible, deep and dreamy re-dub of barotek, steve porter's irresistibly kinetic remix of 'mothership' and tocharian's 'lacuna,' a melodic masterpiece with vocals sampled from the next track, a dub of jimmy van m's latest effort, 'love like sleep.' a much slowed-down version of minimalistix' 'struggle for pleasure' provides closer to one of the most gorgeous stretches of music ever to be mixed.

cd 2 deserves less analysis since it's not nearly as beautiful, or as innovative. john johnson's london is a forgettable introduction, sadly, but van m perks things up by prudently paying tribute to the most popular track of early 01, solid sessions' 'janiero,' featuring both the original and the saffron mix. the next track--the best of the cd, frankly, is MISLISTED as brancaccio & aisher's 'music don't stop'--i haven't the information on what it actually is, but i am quite familiar with work done by london's busiest producers and remixers, and this is not one of them.

from there on, only a scintillating dub of quivver's 'one last time' and junkie xl's 'bon voyage' offer reprieve from an otherwise standard progressive-fodder fare.

conclusion: though cd 2 slacks up in selection (though not mixing; the cd is obviously pro-tooled, not turntable mixed) bedrock 02 is a serious contender to the title of 01's best compilation. hurrah to jimmy and the good guys from the balance promotion group from providing us with another stunner.

To some it may seem like blaspheme to say that this is better than Digweed's original Bedrock release, but to me it is. Jimmy Van M mixes with the skill of Digweed and the track selection is better than the original (granted, Digweed's release is a few years old). I guess what I'm trying to say is that this is the most impressive progressive mix I've heard since the man himself released the first Bedrock. I don't say this often, but it truly is a must have!

JVM is one of the few DJ's that very often come to Mexico City and I've been a follower of his sets ever since he opened for Sasha back in 1999 (my first time). I remember his music mixing being amazing and that prompted me to attend his every gig... so far I have not been disappointed. This latest mix CD, a worthy successor to his Ministry of Sound disc (a really underrated gem), is a truly hypnotic progressive gem that doesn't let you down. Disc 1 is the best of the two: its subtle rhythm changes and hidden melodies make it a night out clubbing right into your living room... Prototype's "Control of sound" simply explodes right out your speakers switching the sound gear into progressive overdrive without the madness of cheesy trance... simply pulsating sounds and cascades of ambience that won't let you down. By the time you reach JVM's own "Love like sleep" your body asks for a dance floor. Disc 2 is also very good but I believe that the combination of two mixes of the INCREDIBLE "Janeiro" is a little too much; anyway, this disc is a little faster but it builds a little less on the fabulous ambience built on disc 1. HIghligths of this disc are Brancaccio & Asher's "Music don't stop" and Junkie XL's "Bon voyage". Overall the whole flow of this 2 disc resembles by 98% JVM's June 9th's presentation in Mexico City... that means it is a truly wonderful and must-get cd from the always-excellent Bedrock recordings. Put it on, relax, turn off the light and let JVM take you somewhere else...

I saw Jimmy Van M open up for Sasha and Digweed and was absolutely blown away with his set. It was one of, if not the best trance performances I've ever had the priveledge of listening to.

I bought this CD immediately afterwards and am happy to say that it captures what I saw live to a large extent. If you like progressive trance and want a good mix to groove to or just chill to, this one is highly recommended.

.........as spun by Jimmy van M. This CD is full of cutting edge material presented in a manner which will captivate an audience like a moth drawn to a brite light. If you already know that you like trance , and are wondering if this is worth the purchase.....buy it ; it is one of the greatest trance mixes I have heard PERIOD. If you don't know whether you like trance or not , this CD is trance defined. Brain-bending!! Awesome!!

AKA dj gato in the sf underground and full moon parties
this jimmy rocks!!!!!! oh my god.... three words just keep coming out of my mouth as i listen, as the dark deep peak of the high morning trance rolls out of the speakers like a fog machine invading my lungs, jimmy invading the deepest part of my mind with the deepest trance i've ever heard. i gave a copy of these disks to friends of mine one sunday...thursday night, i called them up and heard it playing in the background. i said "eh, jimmy!!!!!!!" my friend said, "this cd has been on the stereo all week ever since you gave it to us, the minute we wake up in the morning, the minute we walk in the door from work, 'til the minute we go to bed this cd is playing."

Those of us lucky enough to live in Florida have been hearing about Jimmy Vans for years now. Along with partner Chris Fortier he is a founding member of Balance Promotions, now located in New York. Jimmy has always spun tight progressive house sets, but with the "Deeper-Darker" trend that has asserted itself in trance I feel his sets became somewhat "static"; they didn't seem to go anywhere or take you anywhere. The first CD in this disk is in that style. Someone pointed out that with most 2 disk sets the first disk is usually a bit down-tempo and mellow, like the kind of music you hear when you walk into the club right after it opens its doors for the night. Don't get me wrong, the first disk is very well mixed, but it just doesn't make me want to jump up and dance. But the second disk, however...WOW! This is one of the best CD's I've heard in a while. It is worth the price of the whole set all by itself, and if I could give it 6 or 7 stars I would. It is a very tight set of pumping progressive trance that takes you from point A to point X and all the stops in between. Absolutely beatiful and a masterpiece in every way. If you don't have Max Graham's "Transport 4" yet go buy that and then buy this one immediately afterward. Combining your order will save you money on shipping and you'll be getting about four and a half hours of killer music.

This is a terrific double-disc which is very dark and might take a little getting used to. All the better, if it can touch a part of your ear which other DJ's have missed! This is too menacing to dance to and is better suited to late-night driving and relaxing. The first disc is definately stronger than the second, as other reviewers have noted. Don't expect any trancey highs - Jimmy's style is very dense jungle/house and less accessible.

The BEDROCK label does it again. Oh my, what an awesome trance deep progressive mix. The alchemy of the record mixing is probably the highest quality ever recorded by a DJ on a label. The mixing is unbeliveable.

I am extremly impressed with this compliation. If you like Digweed and Sasha, this guy is head to head with them any day of the week.
You have to buy this. Yes its that good.This is a definate must have for anyone who has an appreciation for good trance with out the taint of commercialism.