Search results: Black Box

Review: Four years have passed since John Digweed's last four-disc mix outing, with the pandemic scuppering the veteran DJ's plans to record an extended set in an exotic location. Instead, what we get is a lightly edited recording of Diggers' most recent gig at Fabric in London, from the autumn of 2021. If you love Digweed's trademark DJ sound - smooth, long blends, melodic builds, dreamy chords and layered melodies alenty - then there's plenty to savour across this epic mix album. While there are a few techno tracks squeezed in on disc four, for the most part Digweed effortlessly joins the dots between tech-house, deep house, progressive house and the kind of melody-rich, atmospheric electronic fare that has always been his sonic calling card.

Review: For electronic music fans of a certain vintage (us included), this surprise new addition to NRK's long-forgotten Back In The Box series is something of a rare treat. Back in the 90s, Global Communication (aka Cornish cosmonauts Tom Middleton and Mark Pritchard) were big news, primarily for their pioneering ambient works. Here, they revisit their early days with two discs of gorgeous electronic classics and long-forgotten IDM dancefloor gems. The first disc concentrates more on intergalactic techno floor fillers - think Reese, Derrick May, Speedy J and F.U.S.E - with the second providing a delightful dose of vintage ambience, downtempo and electronica (Aphex, Link, 808 State etc). Both discs are beautifully mixed, and offer a surprising, enjoyable and evocative journey through one of dance music's most under-appreciated scenes.

Review: Interestingly, Defected see their annual In The House Ibiza compilation as their "flagship release" and it's for this reason that long-standing label boss and face of the label Simon Dunmore is at the controls for this year's three-CD installment. Dunmore takes a slower, deeper, groovier approach on the first disc (think disco and Balearic influenced cuts from Phil Weeks, 6th Borough Project and Drew Hill), before slowly building up towards a heads-down climax on disc three. There's plenty of anthems and anthems-in-waiting present throughout the bulging tracklist, but also some deeper choices (including, it should be noted, an excellent new Deetron remix of Wallflower's "Say You Won't Ever").

Review: If you're going to describe a collection as "definitive", it better be damn good. Thankfully, Terry Farley's five-disc love letter to the roots of Chicago house - and acid in particular - is pretty special. Aside from featuring all the obvious classics - "Can You Feel It", "Baby Wants To Ride", "Face It", "Slam", "Washing Machine" etc - there are plenty of underground anthems (see Charles B's superb "Lack of Love" and Ron Hardy's "Sensation"), little known cuts (contributions from Gene Hunt, Mr & Mrs Dale and Cool McCool) and even a smattering of previously unreleased cuts (see Frankie Knuckles "Bad Boy (featuring Jamie Principle)"). The package also boasts an authoritative 32-page booklet tracing the history of Chicago house between '85 and '91, making it a must-have.

Review: New York DJ and producer Joe Claussell takes the Nite Grooves baton, and delivers a superb double mix CD of deep, funky, soulful House on the album, 'Mix The Vibe'. The mix includes 5 exclusive, previously unreleased tracks that can be found only on this album. An essential purchase for House lovers.