Customer Reviews

Fabric 27

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

 

 

From the opening, distorted, cult like vocals you know you are in for a dark trip through techno and minimal. With the exception of a few lighter tech house sounds, like when Dear slips in a very short (2:30) segment of the catchy melody of Ame's Raj, this remains a full mix of gritty and somewhat spooky techno. I wouldn't call this spacey, just futuristic, as it is brings to mind the gritty, industrial look of the very appropriate CD cover.

The mix is just about as perfect as it can get, with virtually no hint of track transitions. With mostly percussion and barely any melodies, these stripped down, primal tracks just bleed into each other with surgical precision. Believe me when I say, there isn't a bad track on here, and you can let it play from start to finish whether it's the first time hearing it, or the 10th. One of my favorite mixes of the year, any genre.

At first I was very turned off my the mix, simply because it is so very dark and plodding. But there are so many intricacies that can be heard throughout, proof that Dear pays very close attention to mixing smoothly. Some moments are spacey, others damn irritating, but overall a very unique experience. Argy's "Rhino in a glass shop" has a schlocky beat, and is very deep and funky. Not quite up there, but a damn good effort.

Minimal techno tracks are the easiest to mix out of all the electronica genres. Especially the bare, stripped down selections that Matthew Dear features on Fabric 27. Maybe that is why every other DJ nowadays seems to be a minimalist. I always find it difficult to give more than 3 stars to an album that is compiled entirely of minimal techno such as that found on this album since the layout and mixing of the tracks don't really contribute to the mix all that much. You could rearrange the tracks and remix them countless different ways and it would not add or take away from the overall strength of the final compilation.

Fabric 27 is loaded with nice dreamy tracks to fall asleep to. Not a great album to be playing at a party...unless all your guests are minimalist fans. If you are a fan of this genre and lean towards the leaner side of the minimal spectrum, I would recommend adding this one to your collection. If you prefer a little fuller sounding minimal electronica (such as what James Holden likes to play), I'd give this one a miss.

3/5 stars.

I am a fan of unique stuff. Anything that crosses boundaries and is different, and good, is what I enjoy most. A lot of the feelings and sounds in many of the tracks on here are quite unique. This is why I gave it such a high rating. However, I must say that when I got it, I never really ended up listening to it as much as other really great mixes. It kind of got boring rather quickly. Its not a very exciting mix, lets put it like that. A low 4.