Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
It's a gem, isn't it? I've got it on again now. I think four years ago he was less famous than he is now, so his sets were earlier in the night and were deeper and more melodic. I think this set shows beyond doubt his ability to craft and smooth and flowing set.
EDIT: Although I'd forgotten how much this set gets going in the second half.
It really is. I swear these guys are almost all better starting out the night than playing peak time. They play all the interesting tracks early in the night it appears and nothing but big room bangers at peak time
Paradox Lost
The city series in particular and label in general at least have the potential for some kind of future now that Ministry of Sound is no longer running things. While it may have been inevitable that GU would have lost much of its clout as the mix market became over saturated and crowds began migrating to other sounds, the rather cartoonish direction they took during the mid-late oughts cost them much of their reputation as well. But now things are back under Horsfield's control, and I'm also really excited to learn that Andrew Archer (of Trafik) is also the label manager, as those guys were responsible for all those gorgeous Electric Calm and Afterhours downtempo compilations.
Berlin and Baumel may be unusual choices for a GU, but I suppose that's the point. Their legend still precedes them, as being offered a GU will always be seen as a hallmark of success, and Baumel would be foolish to turn that down.
SYSTEM-J
I don't think Baumel is an unusual choice. It's a series associated most closely with progressive house, and he plays a lot of unashamed progressive house. I saw a Facebook post of his where he said "I love the space between progressive house and techno", so he's not one of these guys who'd rather slice out his own tongue than use the dreaded P-word.
MR STROKE
quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
This was the set that put him on my radar. My partner loves Kompakt and she played this set a lot at the time:
not a fan of this particular set. But I've heard him play a straight up Prog set before and the guy is on the way up. He's actually getting booked in the US lately
Paradox Lost
quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
This was the set that put him on my radar. My partner loves Kompakt and she played this set a lot at the time:
Finally got around to listening to this; fantastic first hour.
I don't think I had ever 'written off' Patrice Baumel, I just recall not being especially taken with his material when I first came across him toward the end of the oughts, and just wasn't a priority as digging became more and more time consuming.
I've probably posted this somewhere else in the past, but this was the biggest impression he left on me, regrettably produced during peak mnml, but wow, what a payoff!
Paradox Lost
So this thing is out as of Friday- anyone give it a run yet? I don't even remember the last time I shelled out for an unmixed comp in this day of click-and-crate, but I feel this one may demand a proper listen.
SYSTEM-J
It's on Spotify in mixed format, so no need to shell out before listening.
I listened to the full thing last night. I think it's a bit overcooked in all honesty. With 24 tracks on each disc it's the polar opposite of the majority of classic GU comps which would let 11 or 12 tracks play out mostly in full. It's just a bit too busy with too much layering and not enough big tunes. The second disc flows better. It's got some proper Berliner techno in there layered with some spacey stuff as the disc progresses, but it still feels a bit heavy on minute studio wankery at the expense of the big picture.
OrangestO
Don’t think it encapsulates what Berlin is about. Not sure if that's even the point of the series, but I always felt somehow connected to the place listed in the title after listening to many of the others. That said, it feels inline with the series. Thought he missed a few chances to stick in a real banger on the first disc. I kept hoping it would come and never did like I wanted. The records he tried to play off as such didn't do it for me, but I enjoyed the mix nonetheless. Still feels like a one-and-done sort of listen though. Might go back to it, might not. I'm not amazed by it, which is what a mix needs to do these days to steal more of my time and attention. I’ll try to check him out this Saturday for the launch party (Mills is playing on Friday, so I’m not sure if I’ll have the stamina to feel fully up for it). I don't want to stumble in half aware :p
SYSTEM-J
quote:
Originally posted by OrangestO
Don’t think it encapsulates what Berlin is about. Not sure if that's even the point of the series, but I always felt somehow connected to the place listed in the title after listening to many of the others.
I agree with the first part, but personally I think the city connection has always been a bit tenuous. This feels like a repeat of GU:009, which should have been New York, showcasing Sasha’s Twilo sound at its peak, but Oakenfold had already done New York on 007, so they made it another American city. Patrice Baumel is most associated with Amsterdam due to his Trouw residency, but Nick Warren did Amsterdam ages ago so they’ve done the next best choice. I think he’s at least made an effort on the second disc to play some darker techno, whereas a lot of the GU mixes have practically zero concession to local tastes.
Paradox Lost
quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
It's on Spotify in mixed format, so no need to shell out before listening.
I listened to the full thing last night. I think it's a bit overcooked in all honesty. With 24 tracks on each disc it's the polar opposite of the majority of classic GU comps which would let 11 or 12 tracks play out mostly in full. It's just a bit too busy with too much layering and not enough big tunes. The second disc flows better. It's got some proper Berliner techno in there layered with some spacey stuff as the disc progresses, but it still feels a bit heavy on minute studio wankery at the expense of the big picture.
Does the traditional track-by-track even cut it anymore in the commercial mix market? It seems the 14 tracks spread across 80 minutes format is just one of many things that GU is looking to shelve away in the past, as they make room for something closer to the acrobatics you would find on Fabric or even an RA podcast.
SYSTEM-J
The recent NuBreed comps have still had a normal 15ish tunes per disc on them. Obviously 11-12 tunes won't cut it any more, if only because tracks generally aren't 10 minutes long anymore. Denney's recent NuBreed was a very traditional mix with very little fancy layering or editing, and I enjoyed that far more than this. Just good tunes smoothly mixed with a nice flow. The recipe for success doesn't age.
Lews
quote:
Originally posted by SYSTEM-J
I listened to the full thing last night. I think it's a bit overcooked in all honesty. With 24 tracks on each disc it's the polar opposite of the majority of classic GU comps which would let 11 or 12 tracks play out mostly in full. It's just a bit too busy with too much layering and not enough big tunes. The second disc flows better. It's got some proper Berliner techno in there layered with some spacey stuff as the disc progresses, but it still feels a bit heavy on minute studio wankery at the expense of the big picture.
I agree that it has far too much studio wankery, but I still quite enjoy it. Good background music for me to work to and some tunes I'll steal if I ever make another mix. Not sure 'good background music' is a ringing endorsement, though.
