Global Underground: Taipei (GU31)

Dubfire | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 9, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Global Underground
• ASIN: B000MV9NW8
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #185,376 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Intro: It Comes From Inside - The Low End Specialists

2. I Try - Francois Dubois

3. Barbeque - Myself

4. Sun Is Rising - Lance Jordan

5. Swimming Places - Julien Jabre

6. So Let the Wind Come - Kerri Chandler

7. In White Rooms - Booka Shade

8. Hustler - Simian Mobile Disco

9. Remember Me - Ballroom

10. The Afterlife - Deetron

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Intro: The First Rebirth (FX DJ Tool) - Angel Lopez

2. Control I'm Here - Nitzer Ebb

3. The Sax Track - U & K

4. Lucky Heather - Nic Fanciulli

5. My MTV - Noir

6. Float Away - Robbie Rivera

7. You - DJ Vibe

8. Die Rumpelkammer - Len Faki

9. Everything Counts - Depeche Mode

10. Related - Samuel L. Session

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An unexpectedly bright flare delivered by Dubfire, April 11, 2007

By 

LexAffection (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Global Underground: Taipei (GU31) (Audio CD)

Listeners everywhere will look the latest Global Underground release from Dubfire several times over with a shrewd magnifying glass, looking for hints of similarity with Dubfire's Deep Dish counterpart's GU mix, Sharam's Dubai. Such relentless scrutiny is in vain, however; Taipei releases into the Underground a dirty, relentless and brooding mélange of thickly-lain bass and dance-floor jarring beats which manage to generate the feeling of literally being underground. Dubfire, however, deftly provides precious breaths of fresh air with expertly mixed upbeat tempos riding distinctly along the slow, pedantically grooving basslines.

A potential caveat to the skeptic out there: Dubfire uses vocals; do not let this deter the purchase of this mix, or even a listen. The distinctive DJ makes use of vocals so sporadically that they almost seem not to exist, and for the most part being completely overridden by the music. And this actually poses a problem, because the vocal trance in this case is really enjoyable. Most of the vocals sound as if they were being chanted beneath the surface of water - sounds and reverberations which jive well in accordance with the deep bass. They add a fundamentally different edge to the mix; his relatively conservative use of drab, and complete absence of pop, lyrics distinguishes his style from Sharam's. Placed side-by-side, Sharam's Dubai and Dubfire's Taipei are polar opposites, illustrating the duality that lies within the collective name "Deep Dish," and I dare to remark that the difference between the two DJs has never been able to be fully appreciated until their solo mixes for Global Underground - Dubai and Taipei in particular - were released. If I were forced to, I would definitely tout Taipei as a superb mix of John Digweed's GU: Hong Kong and Dubfire's GU: Toronto. Initially sound incompatible? Give it a listen.

Conservative regarding "mass appeal", Dubfire somehow manages to incorporate fairly commercial songs into the flow successfully and many of them plod along at a decisive pace, although the first mix is actually more quickly-paced than one would expect from a mix of such depth. In fact, the first mix is stylistically dark but remains entirely danceable. What's surprising about it is its consistency: Disc one "goes somewhere" without really ever "going somewhere," a remarkable feat I have seen few other DJs accomplish. The second mix starts off with a spooky and transcendental aura similar to that of Nick Warren's Reykjavik mix. I think Dubfire meant to be so playfully deceptive; by the minute-and-a-half mark, the thickest, hardest beat rattles the organs exercises the heart with its intensity. Riding the second mix is an offroad journey of *deep* underground house; certainly more what one would expect from the second disc of any Global Underground release, but once the pace picks up at the two-minute mark, looking back is futile - you're in for the long-run, which does not imply it will be unbearable. In fact, the second mix is one of the better "clubbier" GU albums released amongst the past thirteen or fourteen GU mixes. In a heartily-crafted nutshell, imagine a handful of Dubfire's better tracks from his Toronto mix and expand upon that depth of sound and character. I did, and I discovered a (surprisingly) sophisticated dance album reflective of both dutiful insight and soulful abandonment.

~Lex

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dubfire throws everything at you but the kitchen sink., April 21, 2007

By 

Doctor Trance (MA, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Global Underground: Taipei (GU31) (Audio CD)

The second half of Deep Dish finally gets his turn in the solo spotlight, with GU's 31st release, and the second of the year (which already surpasses last years output and we're only in April). I mentioned in my review of GU29 that Dubfire would have his work cut out for him in topping Sharam's Dubai, and he certainly was up to the challenge, going the all encompassing route, and including just about every genre possible that can heat up dance floors around the world: house, electro, tech house, deep house, tribal house, acid house, minimal, techno, and even some trance. A very keen track selection by Dubfire.

As I felt Sharam's best part of his set was the latter half of Disc 2, the strong point here is definitely the first half of Disc 1, with some luscious deep house melodies, and tracks 3-5 being a stellar sequence of tracks. I felt the flow tapered off in the middle, with a few tracks that brought the tempo way down, but thankfully picked right back up again. Dubfire stays on the more on the tech and electro side of house for disc 2, for a very steady flow of tracks, barring the MTV track, and ending with a Paul Kalkbrenner techno remix of Ellen Allien and Apparat's track Jet.

If you are looking for a more standard house sound, check out Sharam's Dubai, and you won't be disappointed, however if you are looking for a mix incorporating all genres of the current house scene, you will reap the rewards with Dubfire's mix. You can't go wrong with either one, and if I had to choose, I would give the slight edge to Sharam, only because out of his two discs I only skip 1 track, and in this one, I skip 2.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dubfire is the man, April 5, 2007

By 

Kelly G. Wendland - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Global Underground: Taipei (GU31) (Audio CD)

I've listened to both discs twice now, and have gotta say I'm not loving the first. The second, however, comes with some very hard tracks that sound great out of a good system. Reminds me of a bassier version of GU: hong kong.

As far as the 'progressive' aspect, it's there, more notably on the second disc. Also the discs ring true to Dubfire's style.

It was worth the money