- For the 15th installment of the Fabric series, the crew from Farringdon blesses us with something that doesn’t quite fit the norm. Not only is the mix musically a little special, but the mix is mixed and compiled over 2 discs then the usual 1 disc format. The lucky man who has been given this task is Craig Richards under the Tyrant banner. Craig is undoubtedly one of the driving forces behind the success of the club, and he is the man that started the series with the very tasty Fabric 01. He returns and delivers a very unique mix, and while it may take a few listens to get to grips with, once the settle dusts, you’ll be pleased to know lies a very twisted and brilliantly arranged compilation.
Something that is a little different in this mix is that disc one is probably the more club friendly mix of the two, unlike the traditional format where disc one usually warms up to the second disc. The mix opens up quite nicely, with the creepy and moody ‘Six of One (part one)’ by Minimal Man. Soon enough though, the deep baselines that conquer the first disc are soon introduced, most notably early by ‘Vibes’ by Seafoam and then by the Eight Miles High mix of W.U.O by Carsten Jost. MIA’s ‘River’ is without doubt a stunning highlight in the entire mix, while the twisted bleeps and shattering low-end sounds of ‘Face the Flames’ by Jeremy Caulfield are again mind warping and strangely addictive. The Soul Capsule mix of Pantytec’s ‘Elasobabe’ lifts the pace midway into the first disc, while the addictive sounds of ‘Orange Mistake’ by Luciano and Quennum will make you reach for the volume knob in excitement. Creepy sounds entrap the senses in the unique sounds of ‘Athan Dance’ by Mirwais Sangin while the hypnotic swirls of ‘No. 5’ from the Bang Goes EP start to bring the mix to a fantastic climax. The creeching stabs of the brilliant Michale Mayer and ‘Pensum’ is a late highlight, as is the very funky ‘The Trick’ by Morane. The stunning ‘Lucky Charm’ by Ada is left to close disc one off in style which it does, and it closes off a disc that is undeniably one Craig Richards finest releases to date. Pure brilliance.
Disc two is definitely just as interesting as the first. More downtempo and just as unique as the first disc, the mix opens up with the very quirky ‘Words’ by Brownman Greenman meets KV5. ‘Food and Fuel’ by Morgan Geist is another nice smooth early highlight in the mix, with its quirky drum patterns and guitar like bass twinges. The 80’s vibe is brought back with ‘Minimum of Life’ by Joakim and continued with ‘Systematic’ by Fastgraph Systematic. Texas chip in with a seductive cut in ‘Put Your Arms around Me’, a fusion of a deep rolling baseline, and cheeky vocal snippets, while the quirky sounds and eerie soundscapes of ‘Programming’ by D.I.E again install the uniqueness of this mix. The mix starts to build and take a tougher shape with the extremely twisted ‘Tottentanz’ by Dettinger, but soon comes down a notch again, most notably with the slow quirky sounds of ‘On that Tip’ by Anthony Shaker. The electrified sounds of Dabrye’s ‘Smoking that Edge’ struggle to find words that aid its description, while ‘Silence is Defeat’ by The Warlock makes a description easy due to its quite massive baseline. The mix however ends in unique fashion, as you would expect, with ‘Whip’ by Alphabet City.
One thing that comes to mind when I hear Craig Richards is Unique. He is very much a man with his own sound, a unique talent for finding those records that no one else can find, and an ear for a sound that many may not understand. One thing that is clear though and that the music he plays, although not obvious, is somewhat strangely addictive. Many would have experienced this with the Tyrant mixes with partner in crime Lee Burridge, but it is another experience when Craig is on his own. And this what this mix is, a very unique and wonderful experience, and a listening experience that seems to get more enjoyful with each listen.