I’ve long been a fan of DJ John Digweed. His mixing skills are top-notch and he’s one of my biggest influences when I break out my dusty decks. You can imagine my delight when I discovered this Live in Brooklyn Output five-disc collection for sale at a Gilbert, Arizona wrecka stow for twenty bucks. It’s almost a complete eight-hour set by him.
Digweed wastes no time in getting the place moving on the first disc with thumpers like Slow Hearts‘ “Dione” (the “Alexander Aurel She Wasted the Olymp” remix) sounding like something he beamed in from a club in the year 2150. Rampa‘s “Necessity” is a good example of Digweed’s looping skills. His transition from Last of Me‘s “Circle of Life” to the “Jericho Dub” remix of King Roc‘s “The Beginning” is so subtle that you almost don’t notice it. Kevin Yost‘s “Dancer Dancer” might induce a trance.
Tripmastaz‘s “Blossomz” starts off disc two with bass designed to get your hips and shoulders shaking. You can hear the crowd cheering as he quiets Rampa‘s “The Touch” and almost turns it into a motorik track. Lopezhouse‘s “Crosses & Angels” (the “Guy J” dub featuring Angela) smoothly rolls into the “Drifter” remix of “Let Your Body Control the Beat” by ZK Bucket. Isaac Tichauer‘s “Higher Level” (the “Bicep” remix) is another lesson in beat-looping. The Justin Martin remix of Claptone‘s “The Music Got Me” ups the bass and the team-up of Adam Port (who remixes the tune) and Stereo MCs on “Changes” will possibly have you tripping by this point.
The dub version of Collective Machine and Philipp Straub‘s “Revolution of House” is an early banger on disc three and slides right into Mia Lucci‘s sexy “Audrey Hepburn.” The Nick Curly remix of “It’s Time” by Gorge goes from house to haunted house and back again. The hand percussion on Inaky Garcia and Luisen‘s “Chimisi” is a neat addition to the beats in the set. Saints & Sinners‘ “Pushin’ Too Hard” (remixed by Guy Mantzur) is a perfect “chill house” track that’s ideal for the second act of this mammoth set by Digweed. He gives you time to adjust your posture, hydrate, find another spot on the floor, or just slow down your groove for a couple moments. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
You’ll need that breather for the start of disc four and Darren Emerson‘s “Osaka rework” of “Fanfare” by Mr. Emerson, Mr. Digweed, and Muir. The hot synths and electronic hi-hat sizzle across the floor-filling beats on it. We reach a weird euphoria just a couple tracks later on the “Love Over Entropy Repatterning” (whatever that is) of Fabio Montana‘s “Ortygia.” “Chirality” by DJ Tennis is another thumping bumper of a track that practically crawls into the pajamas of Mantzur’s “Blooming Fields.”
Disc five starts with the nearly ten-minute-long “2 Miles Away” by Rodriguez Jr. I’m sure the audience at Brooklyn’s Output club were somewhere between raved-out bliss and desperately wanting and needing some eggs and hash browns by now, so Digweed gives them a late night / early morning dream track with “Jetlag” by Tiefschwarz and Ruede Hagelstein. The rolling synth-bass of AndrĂ© Galluzzi‘s “Bold” is great and will wake you right up if you’re dragging from dancing all night. The crowd is still cheering, whistling, and jumping during Citizenn‘s “Confide.” They give him a loud send-off as he closes with Ian O’Donovan‘s “Seeker.”
It’s a stunning recording, and a clinic on how to put together a mammoth set.
Keep your mind open.
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