Martyn could be equally at home on a Friday or Saturday line-up at fabric, but it’s the latter the club have supported him on, allowing him to flex his eclectic muscles and tech-fused dubstep sounds in the main room between the world’s foremost house and tech DJs and producers. Getting him to mix their half-century speaks volumes about their love for his work, and should alert anyone who isn’t aware of him to the fact that he’s one of the most exciting and talented figures in electronic music at the moment.
Keen to show his eclectic nature from the off, we kick off not with his techified dubstep flavours, but with Hudson Mohawke’s colourful electro hip-hop joint Joy Fantastic, a Defected bongo-led drum rhythm and a fizzing electronic broken beat cut from Nubian Mindz. The tracks are switched up rapidly, with little space for comfort and complacency. The one constant is the presence of heavy pressure, infectious rhythm – highlighted in the UK funky flavour of Altered Natives’ Bass Out – and next in Zomby’s dubbed-out Little Miss Naughty, pulling the mix into a deeper channel.
2-step creeps in with Uncle Bakongo’s chunky Afar, but it’s not long before the 4/4 throb and roll of Ben Klock appears, on his remix of Deepgroove’s The Clock. One of only 3 of Martyn’s own productions adds an element of emotion and depth to the mix – his haunting re-rub of The Detachments’ Circles – with Joy Orbison’s Brkln Clln bringing some warmth, alongside Cooly G’s mellow Feeling You (coming across like a garagey Cassy). The atmosphere turns a little tense with Kode 9’s Oozi and Roska’s stabby Without It, paving the way perfectly for Martyn’s masterful Detroit-infused, stuttering track Friedrichstrasse.
Levon Vincent’s Air Raid kicks off a 4/4 section with some acid funk, segueing into deep Berghain techno with another Ben Klock reworking of Martyn feat. Spaceape’s Is This Insanity, and Redshape’s eerie remix of Seventy Four- both on Martyn’s 3024 label, underlining his enthusiasm for throbbing, deeper techno cuts. The final section sees him dish out the dub tech sound he’s best known for – with his countryman 2562’s woozy Flashback caressing you through the speakers, preceding his own stunning tech stab dub fest Vancouver, a true modern classic. A sprinkling of rave rounds the compilation off in enjoyable high spirits, with Jan Driver’s nagging Rat Alert, and Dorian Concept’s explosive mix of bright, feisty synths and two-step beats Trilingual Dance Sexperience.
With this and the forthcoming Autonomic FABRICLIVE 50 mix, the legendary series is back to its experimental best. Hopefully not at the expense of a few party mixes along the way mind. This is a brilliantly balanced mix that goes a long way to proving Martyn’s awesome skill behind the decks, never sticking with one style for long and thus avoiding any sense of boredom throughout.
The album is launched at fabric in London on Saturday 16th January.
Tracklisting:
-
Hudson Mohawke - Joy Fantastic ft Olivier Daysoul
-
Alec Wizz `Drummin' - (Louis Benedetti Drumminpella)
-
Nubian Mindz - Bossa Boogie
-
Maddslinky - Lost On Tenori Street
-
Altered Natives - Rass Out
-
Zomby - Little Miss Naughty
-
Uncle Bakongo - Afar
-
Zomby - Light Cycle
-
Deepgroove & Jamie Anderson - The Clock (Ben Klock's Timepiece)
-
DJBone - We Control The Beat
-
Detachments - Circles (Martyn's Round & Round Mix)
-
Joy Orbison - Brkln Clln
-
Cooly G - Feeling You
-
Martyn ft dBridge - These Words (Roska's Speechless Mix)
-
Kode9 - Oozi
-
Roska - Without It
-
Martyn - Friedrichstrasse
-
Levon Vincent - Air Raid
-
Martyn ft Spaceape - Is This Insanity? (Ben Klock Mix)
-
Martyn - Seventy Four (Redshape Mix)
-
Actress - Slowjam
-
Zomby - Mercury's Rainbow
-
2562 - Flashback
-
Martyn - Vancouver
-
Jan Driver - Rat Alert
-
Dorian Concept - Trilingual Dance Sexperience