Customer Reviews

Global Underground 14: John Digweed in Hong Kong

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Because it came right after Seaman's Buenos Aires and Sasha's Ibiza, I expected this to be a very trancy GU set...Boy was I wrong. John Digweed obliterates the GU formula with a progressive house mix that has become MY FAVORITE CD in my collection. I have always liked trance over house, although I like them both, but this is an incorporation of both.

Hong Kong has the seamless beat of Tenaglia and the breakdowns and buildups characteristic of his partner-in-crime, Sasha. However, I think that the reason some people are bored by this set is because the beats and breakdowns are very subtle when compared to DJ contemporaries. Underworld's mellow "Cups" is the perfect track selection for the opening of this GU. "The Baguio Track" and "Music Saved My Life" are now played out, but the manner in which Digweed mixes them is absolutely brilliant. CD1, in fact, is the best electronica mix I own to date.

CD2 does not have the track selection highlights that #1 does, but it is a more continuous mix in terms of beat and tone. This is one of those CD's that needs to be listened to all at once to fully appreciate it. Diggers weaves a dark, wicked beat into the funk grooves on this CD2, and you will wish that you were grooving at Twilo with him when this mix sucks you in. When I read the sleave notes on the back of a GU, they sometimes seem a little too overstated. But the "DEVIL'S TRANCE and ROBOT FUNK" are two perfect ways to describe Digweed's Hong Kong mix. However, if you are new to trance or even Global Underground, do not get this mix as your first. Trance and house, like opera, call for an acquired taste, and I can see how some electronica newcomers might be bored by this release. Check out GU: San Francisco, Athens, or Carl Cox before you appreciate the proficiency and ear candy of this gem.

But I would argue that the highlight of this mix is the mix itself. Electronica aficionados know that Diggers is neither pure trance nor house (Check out Bedrock). Rather, he has embraced progressive house, of which he is the master. This is the first of its kind in the GU series, but it will not be the last. Emerson's Uruguay and Seaman's Cape Town seem to parallel Hong Kong more so than earlier GU releases. Whereas Sasha's Ibiza set is the future of trance, Digweed's Hong Kong set is the future of progressive house. If you liked Tenaglia's Athens set or Carl Cox's mixes and you have a knack for trance, do yourself a favor and put this masterpiece in your shopping cart.

I own every GU cd ever made, plus all of the Northern Exposure stuff as well. I have to say, this is my favorite cd of my trance/house collection. Digweed's mixing on these cd's is so beautiful, for lack of a better word. This set never gets stale, no matter how many times I listen to it (and I've listened to it a lot!). I suppose some may refer to this as dark house/trance and that would be accurate. Although I would say disc 1 fits that description better than disc 2. What I find interesting is that the set gets better with repeated listening. If you are into the cheesy trance anthem compilation cd's, stay away from this one. This is cerebral music that takes you on a journey. It will probably take a few listenings to appreciate the genius at work here. Just so you know where I'm going from, my 5 favorite cd's in order of preference are:

1) Digweed - Hong Kong 2) Sasha - Ibiza and Tenaglia - London (This one is a tie.) 3) Paul Oakenfold - New York 4) Dave Seaman - Buenos Aires 5) Nothern Exposure - Expeditions (Don't listen to it much anymore, but still a classic.)

Nick Warren's Amsterdam set and Steve Lawler Nubreed are killer too. If Digweed's Hong Kong set is not part of your collection you are missing out. Buy it now!

This Digweed mix is credited with starting, or at least crystallizing, the deep, dark, nay spooky, trend in house/trance. What's the flavor here?

There is a focus on stripped down beats, the persistent breathing thud-thud-thud of a heartbeat; metallic, chunky percussion that hits and then skitters off and plunges into the deep night; minimal keyboard colors; echoey, deep night sound effects; spare voices vocal samples-and all of it, rather velvent, warm, red, and naughty.

A very grown up sort of brooding, hot and heavy, late night, compulsive beat music. The antithesis of glow stick waving "candy trance"; if you don't want to be mistaken as part of the virus of drunken German Ibiza tourists, this is sacred antidote.

This disc is the sound of the deep night, where sensuous things occur. Somehow it also evokes the "Bladerunner"-esque city scape of Hong Kong, with all its technology, alienation and humid, fragrant, mystery. Deep subterranean beats, echoey with mysterious voices, you are half dreaming--half waking in some lost club of the future nether world. As much as to drive to or make love to as to dance too. Oh but its still energetic, driving, insistent, wanting. Buy this. Buy this.

If you are a clubber or you just like listening to sasha and digger's wonderfully composed music, you need to have this CD. If you like Paul Van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold's mixes, this will be a different kind of thrill for your money. What can I say about this CD, but that it's the kind of music that makes you reach for your glowsticks or just makes you smile while throwing your hands up in the air to every beat that digger mixes. I am not going to go into each individual track like all the other reviewers because i see CD one as a track and CD2 as a seperate track. By now you probably already own Communicate and some of the Northern Exposure CD's being very pleased with the mixes. Well, your not pleased enough until you buy this CD. You can feel the confidence that Digger has in moving from beat to beat and it has no cheesy climactal techno or trancy beats that oaky or PVD like to spin (even though they are still one of my favorites). How can i explain this CD better...THUMPING, UNEXPECTED BEATS THAT LEAVE YOU DOING THE DANCE FLOOR TROT...YOU KNOW THE ONE I'M TALKING ABOUT. I find this CD so amazing because i listen to my whole collection of sasha and digger's music while i'm studying but when i put this in, i can't concentrate because my pencil becomes a glowstick and i start raving with it and jumping around like a lunitic...buy it and you won't be laughing at me anymore...you'll be laughing that your doing the same thing

John Digweed after the sucess of Bedrock based on his Essentials mix, the man comes out with Hong Kong a selections of songs from his Summer set from the far east.

The first side is twisted techno house starting off with the very disco virby housey feel Salt city Orchestra mix of Underworld's-Cups. The sound gets darker and more thumping as beat and sound hit off each other, one after the other on ADNY -"Something for the SOul". LSG comes on afterwards with Into Deep - having a very light sounding sound but yet retaining the very dark and pounding beat. The chants of foreign voices of Luzio Bagio track do a nice job of creating the impact for the mix into Pete Heller's mix of "music save my life".Repeting over and over again "Got to thank god for the music", the dark journey suddenly becomes ligher as the mix starts to make its climb to heaven from the depts of Hell with Jean Phillipes - Aviances Useless. Crashing to a big boom to a huge conclusion with Medway's - Flanker

Cd: Second more familiar side of Digger starts with POB-Glide , a very futuristic sound. Tilt than put back down on the dark side with his Numerology Dub of his own "Angry Skies". Raising above ground, coming out of the dark, Digger switchs into the very light sound of CassVsSlide - Slide , creating a journey into space and time. The beat pulsing sound of Breeder's Sputnik, lets the listener continue its journey through space and time as we reach the middle part of the mix. This continues on until we reach at halt, Digger than switchs on the Evolution mix of Heaven Scent. Absolute Bliss! Complete Bliss! the sound owns the soul as we get treated to this unrelease mix. Quivers lays the last touch to the finale with a mix on Stoneproof's "And she does"

Conclusion, way better than Sydney, more constructive and more direction. If you looking for the same kind of deep sound like his recent Essential set, than your sadly in for a dissapointment, this is nothing like Bedrock compilation. It alittle bit of slower start but a conclusion worth dying for with a very darker kind of sound that Euro-trancers know nothing of..

John Digweed was one of the most repected names in the trance genre. His work with Sasha on their Northern Exposure series, and on other disks such as Renaissance and his Sydney escapade, proved his prowess of making awesome, energetic trance mixes. Diggers continued spinning trance up until about 1999, when he released a progressive house mix, Bedrock.

Bedrock was definitely an outstanding set, but this is the peak of all Digweed's sets so far. Hong Kong is a smooth, dark, absolutely wonderful mix, with both CDs being equal in their technical flair and fidelity. On many Global Underground disks, I favor the second CD to the first one; I tend to like the more dynamic sounds of the high energy sets featured on the latter part of the CD. Digweed's Hong Kong is fantastic on both disks. Neither is better than the other, and it doesn't succumb to the typical GU style of CD 1 being the lethargic mix while CD 2 picks up the pace.

As usual, the mixing on this Digweed set is impeccable. His track selection and mixing from one song to the next is ethereal; just listen for the transistion from the Baguio Track into Music Saved My Life. Every track is mixed into another without a cut of cheese or obvious cross fader.

Hong Kong is definitely Digweed's best solo work, rivaled only by his sets with Sasha in the Northern Exposure series. The liquid grooves and dark rhythms on Hong Kong make for an incredible experience, possibly even ranking as the best GU yet.

digweed pulls stuff off like no one else can, disc 2 is my favorite GU disc out of the whole collection. the mix of 9 into 10 is masterful, and 7 is just a beautiful song. breeder, as always comes phat with track 6 and track 4 is rock solid. digweed, you are a baller

Recently I travelled to NYC to go hear Sasha and Digweed at TWILO. I found this CD before I left for the trip. We listened to it as we were driving to the city. I almost died. Anything that starts off with a track from Underworld is sure to be a pleaser. Usually with Global Underground cd's the 2nd cd is better. This breaks that mold. The 1st cd is the deepest most beautiful thing I have ever heard. Standout track: Luzon's "The Baguio Track". You'll be hearing that more in the months to come. :) The 2nd cd is good as well espically the Breeder Track. If you like deep, DARK, scary, beautiful trance, check this out!

If you've bought Digweed's other mix CDs, this one may throw you a little - even if you've heard his Bedrock CD. Disc One in particular is slower and darker - the liner notes call it "mucky house". I wasn't wowed by it at first but now I keep coming back to it - there's something about the laid back groove that just gets under your skin. Disc Two is probably more of what people are used to from Digweed - trancier and lighter. However, the mixing is more subtle and the energy builds more from the arrangement and mixing of the songs than from flashy drumrolls and the like. Another great set and worth the import price.

Digweed's Hong Kong cd is amazing. It represents a step towards the more housey, less "trancey" sound he moved toward on the Bedrock compilation (and more like his live sets too, if you've been lucky enough to hear them...)

Disc 1 starts with groovy mix of Underworld's "Cups," and, instead of dropping huge records, Digweed takes the listener on a spacy, deep journey that culminates in Luzon's "Baguio Track" (which, is, simply ... amazing). Then he shifts gears, dropping in house star Cevin Fischers "Music Saved My Life", and brings us back to earth. He finishes with Medway's Flanker, a driving, jaw-clenching floor-filler which leaves you panting.

Disc 2 is a little darker and scarier, in the best way possible. Digweed starts off in similar fashion to disc 1, with nice 'n' housey "Glide" by POB. Subtly, he changes the tone, bringing it deeper, with Moonface's "Futurised Fear," Tilt's "Angry Skies," Cass & Slide's "Diablo," and Jimmy Van M's "More." Then, in case it gets too scary in there for us, he lightens up with Science Dept's "Persuasion", and steadily builds up the energy until the end, setting us down gently with Quivver's "And She Does."