Review: John Digweed - Transitions

Label: Renaissance [REN27CD]
Release Date: June 5th, 2006
Rating: 7/10

John Digweed's sound has certainly changed with the times. Gone are the days of deep, atmospheric prog, and in their place are the sounds of minimal tech house and funky electro. The first volume of Digweed's new "Transition" series shows Digweed going even further down the minimal electro path. Whether this is a good or bad thing is really a matter of one's personal taste.

Last year's "Fabric 20" was a little more rocking compared to this mix. The tracks Digweed has selected for this mix are interesting, off-kilter little ditties with some unorthodox bleeps and bloops layered over buzz saw bass line stabs. The tempo is a little more laid-back, but the mood is a little on the creepy side, especially early on. An early highlight would be the very electronic "Feelin" by Every (a new alias of legendary German producer, Oliver Lieb). Digweed's mixing, as always, is spot on. His transitions (no pun intended) are fluid, and the middle portion of the mix feels like one, big, long, creepy track. By the time Niekish & Hermann's Dub mix of Trick & Kubic's "Easy" comes in, the tempo picks up slightly and the sound becomes a little more urgent. The strongest track on the album is On Spec's "Knights Of Columbus". This track has a very catchy rolling bassline and just the right amount of emotional, cute melody. The track is actually a dub version of a bootleg Guy Gerber remix of "Why Are You Looking So Grave?" by Mew. It's unfortunate that the vocals had to be left out, as the original remix with them included is even more entrancing. The mix peaks with Digweed's first original production (without Nick Muir), "Warung Beach". The "Lützenkirchen Mix" of said song is a nice, techy track with some thundering synth work. Oddly, Digweed ends his mix on a questionable note with Paul Kalkbrenner's "Gebrünn Gebrünn". Somewhat anti-climatic.

Can't say there's a bad track on the whole mix, though similar to Sasha's Fundacion NYC, the majority music of the is a little on the bland side. Including the highlights I mentioned, there aren't any truely amazing standout tracks. Admittedly, amazing exclusives are becoming harder and harder to come by these days as more and more mix compilations are released every year. But one only has to look at DJs like Dave Seaman, Paolo Mojo or James Holden who've each released comps in the last few months and each managed to include several fantastic exclusives that will easily be considered classics in the years to come. Here, although the On Spec track is good, it's not exactly what I would consider an instant classic. Perhaps my standards for Digweed are too high? Still, this is a very polished, very solid mix. Older Digweed fans will still be put off by his current taste in music, but judge this mix on it's own merits and you have a winner. I personally feel this mix is slightly superior to his Fabric 20 mix, though I'm sure there are those that disagree.

Recommended if you dig the sounds of funky, minimal electro and not recommended if you still think Digweed should make mix albums that sound like Global Underground: Los Angeles.