Derrick Carter/Various – Fabric 56 review

You know what you’re getting with Derrick Carter. The Classic Music Company front man and self-confessed “sneaker queen” has always worn his heart on his sleeve musically. He likes house music blessed with swing and bounce, laden with bumpin’ basslines and prominent snares. He used to call it “boompty” – Chicagoan deep house with a hop, skip and a jump.

His DJ approach is similarly energetic. Constantly in the mix, he tweaks and teases endlessly, bringing new elements in to to mix, cutting between tracks and overlaying edits and acapellas. Derrick Carter is one of the few DJs to make playing house records a performance. It’s for this reason that he’s still going strong after so many years, despite championing a style of house that long since passed “flavour of the month” status. Carter is at his energetic, all-action best on this excellent mix for Fabric, his first for the London clubbing institution. Musically, there are few surprises – it’s boompty, kids – but don’t let that put you off; it really is a fantastic mix.

The tracklist itself is, of course, impeccable – more recent cuts from Justin Long, Cajmere, DJ Sneak and Iz & Diz nestling next to forgotten classics like Roger Sanchez’s 1995 slammer “My Organ” – but the most impressive thing about Fabric 59 is its spontaneous, off-the-cuff feel. While many commercially released mixes can feel sterile and overproduced, the live, one-take approach Carter utilizes here makes it a genuinely exciting and entertaining listen. It’s the sound of a true master at work.

Matt Anniss