- "We don't really need a crowd to have a party. Just a funky beat and you to get it started…" "Big Fun," Inner City's techno ode to the power of dance, could be a raison d'etre for Glaswegian DJ Jackmaster. Alongside digital upstarts Hudson Mohawke and Rustie, he's at the forefront of a fresh strain of Scottish mixers, producers and hell raisers. HudMo and Rustie's potent mix of R&B, Prince and video games have shifted the goal posts of dance into purple pastures, while the rest of the Numbers crew (of which Jackmaster is a key figure) have emerged at a time when passion for classic dance music mixed with new sounds are running high.
Unlike HudMo and Rustie, however, Jackmaster has built his rep solely on his DJing skills. To get an insight into the electronic pulse beating at Jackmaster's heart, you'd need look no further than the first three tunes on this mix: The Fantastic Aleems' "Release Yourself," the Juan Atkins remix of Inner City's "Big Fun" and Gregor Salto's "Classic Beat Tool" are vintage slabs of dance music—all of which sound totally distinctive, yet hang together perfectly and are interwoven as tightly as a coiled spring. This fast and furious opening salvo is indicative of the way the 29 tunes are blended together over the hour. There's no excess fat on this mix. It's a lean, tight, moving machine, which at times is frenetic enough to sound like it's been binging heavily on protein shakes.
There are plenty of highlights—newer bombs from SBTRKT & Sinden, Martyn and Hudson Mohawke stand up to the classic Wookie remix of Sia's "Little Man" and CLS's "Can You Feel It?"—while the array of styles on offer is jaw-dropping. Garage, piano house, Miami bass, grime, foot-to-the-floor rave and jacking house are all crammed into these breathless 60 minutes. The frenetic pace is the only constant, with the only lull afforded to HudMo's "Fuse." It breathes deeply before the rave rocket is re-ignited by Machinedrum.
Anyone who saw Jackmaster slay the final session of Sonar by Day last year—or any number of parties since—should be delighted by this Fabric release. It manages to capture the sweat and sounds of a Numbers party without sacrificing the eclecticism or the wildness. Few other new players can draw the dots between Detroit, disco and Radiohead with such style.
Tracklist 01. The Fantastic Aleems - Release Yourself
02. Inner City - Big Fun (Magic Juan Remix)
03. Gregor Salto - Classic Beat Tool
04. Model 500 - Night Drive (Thru-Babylon)
05. Kim English - Nite Life (Retail Club Mix)
06. Anthony Shakir - Plugged In
07. Martyn - Alldayallnight
07. Geiom feat. Terrible Shock - 2 4 6
08. Doug Willis - Dougswana (Audiowhores Beats)
09. Jook 10 - Emotions
10. Larry Heard presents Mr. White - The Sun Can't Compare
11. Addison Groove - Make Um Bounce
12. SBTRKT & Sinden - Seekwal
13. Splack Pack - Shake That Ass Bitch
14. Mad Mike featuring Davina - Don't You Want It
15. Sia - Little Man (Wookie Remix)
16. CLS - Can You Feel It? (In House Dub)
17. DJ Deeon - The Freaks
18. The Outlander - Vamp
19. Splack Pack - Scrub Da Ground
20. Underground Resistance - Jupiter Jazz
21. Thomas Bangalter - What To Do
22. Fix - Flash
23. Hudson Mohawke - Fuse
24. Machinedrum - La Bomba
25. DJ Funk - Pussy Ride
26. AFX - VBS.Redlof.B
27. Skepta - Doin' It Again
28. Radiohead - Idioteque