The first taste of James Zabiela I received in a CD mix format was the very brilliant Sound In Motion mix on Hooj Recordings, a mix which I was happy to give a 10 score. It received a 10 score not because it was perfect (how do you define a perfect mix??), but because it was quite simply a breath of fresh air. Edits, loops, unique mixing and last but not least, fantastic and vibrant tracks, it had all that encapsulates the very essence that is James Zabiela. Now I know what to expect from James, and the standard is very high as I now approach this review for his latest mix incarnation, that being his ALiVE compilation for the legendary Renaissance. If there was anything to perhaps complain about with his Sound In Motion mix, it was that despite the live editing, scratching and other technical and musical traits, the mix certainly lacked a taste of what many have been experiencing when seeing James in the confines of club walls. This is where the difference lies between this mix and SIM, as ALiVE doesn’t hold back for one second. ALiVE certainly has the balls, but does it have the depth…
Now before I get into the guts of this mix, let me excuse myself if I use the term ‘baseline’ a little too often. It’s not my fault. The first CD begins with the cheeky Luke Vibert and James very own edit of the ‘Ambalek’, you know what to expect here as James gets warmed up. The retro beats of Diplomat and ‘The Number One MC & DJ Crew’ soon kick in getting the mix firmly into gear. Si Begg adds his reworking touch to ‘Gangsters’ by Jason Sparks, a fusion of twisted percussion and smooth as silk synths. The baselines boom into action with Elite Force and the brilliant ‘Peyote Road’, and as soon as they are finished booming they start bouncing with the simply addictive ‘Holding On’ by the super talented Hisham Samawi. Rob Mello meets Underworld as the classic synths from Dark & Long smother the melodic patterns and beats of the No Ears Dub of ‘Fantasize’. Let me just point out, amongst the description of the productions, that the mixing up until now is phenomenal. Clever, unique, up beat and very interesting! Back to the tunes, where Hisham Samawi makes yet another impact with the acid lines and crisp broken beats of ‘Spirals’. I’m not even going to try and describe what the hell is going on with the fascinating sounds of ‘Circuit Breaker’ by Smash TV. Despite its quirky beats, scratching stabs, random baselines and convoy of effects and sounds, it somehow all comes together and works quite delightfully. Dallas Holiday soon enters the scene, courtesy of some smooth and innovative mixing by James, with his progressive breaks melodic anthem in ‘Forgive’, and the never fail antics of Lee Coombes soon appeal with his reworking of ‘Shine a Light’ by Atomic, a remix that includes crisp beats and smooth acid baselines. The pace lifts up a notch as Elite Force get in on the act, courtesy of their driving remix of Downpressor’s ‘Nine’. Now you may think that the mix is really starting to get into peak time territory, but believe me it is still warming up, despite the delicious nature of ‘Transition’ by Sven Sarvarko, a track that again drives its way with acid twists and chunky drums. Donacha Costello brings in minimal sounds late in the mix with ‘Colorseries Blue A’, a production that is full of appeal and is bound to play with some people’s minds, despite its minimal nature. Now this is where the genius of Zabiela really shines! After playing a deep minimal tech house cut, he enters a massive breakdown which sees the last track of the album build through filtered percussion and teasing melodies into a pure peak time moment, a moment you must have thought impossible only 5 minutes ago. When the beat comes back in, you can’t help but sit back and smile, and let’s face it people, this is what its all about. Jeff Bennett must take plenty of the credit with his brilliant ‘Strange Items’, but a lot of the credit must also go to the creativity of James and his edit of this fantastic production. Your smile is bound to widen when you realise that there is another disc to go!
The second instalment begins with the Southampton Sounds intro which I must confess is not as intriguing as the disc one intro. But he more then makes up for it with an upbeat beginning to this disc courtesy of the R3volve Remix of ‘How To Live’ by Basic Pleasure Model, a epic broken beater full of driving baselines, quirky synth stabs, and gritty male vocals. It must be said it’s a great start to the mix, setting a good vibe very early on! The beats get twisted again, and the baselines deep and chunky as the very brilliant ‘C’est La Doir’ by Sound Alliance rolls smoothly early in the mix. The trademark trippy tweaks and gritty low end sounds of PJ Davy are noticeable next up, and the production entitled ‘What It’s Worth’ is guilty of those elements. Again demonstrating James’ ability to mix it up, we see a splash of funky house vibes of ‘Funky Odd Box’ by Lincoln incorporate itself into this mix, and it’s a welcome addition as it noticeably lifts the pace up a notch as we start to enter danger territory. Spartak’s Tek Dub surely does get the alarm bells ringing with his top draw remix of Perc’s ‘Ice Cream for Kenton’, and it’s by this stage where you start thinking – ‘Now this is the James Zabiela that destroys dance floors worldwide’. I must say that the inclusion of ‘ZX Complex’ by Diplomat is quite intriguing, and for me it acts as a final warning as to what is about to come, that being the full on onslaught that you expect from the Zabiela live treatment. The first track for me that lets loose is the intense broken beat fury ‘Firewater’ by Kraymon & Future Funk Squad, two producers who have continually delivered the goods in the last year or so with this type of driving break beat. It’s twisted and purely evil by the time we hit ‘A New Day’ by Alex Arzeno & Ali Kay, a track that also sees James go to town on the tweaking table as ‘Man’ & ‘Machine’ meet in unison – you will soon understand where I am coming from here. Now I must confess that the 2 or so minutes where the next production is mixed in is a personal fave. As the vocal grunts, skips and spits out ‘Machine’ & ‘Man’, the beats of ‘Don’t You Know Why’ by Deetron simply creep up into the foreground, and then erupt into action. This is definitely for the light hearted as its being thrashed out, again controlled to perfection by James as he keeps it tight and quite simply seamless. Blake Potter has no intention of letting up on the pace, as he gets a look in with his tough and pounding reworking of Momu’s ‘Aduro’, a fusion of driving beats, slashing snares, and subtle twisted acid lines. As the mix shortly comes to an end, the mix is concluded with some memorable touches. Firstly the tricky beats, subtle vocals, and the uplifting string and synth patterns of the purely epic ‘Reach’ by Quadsquad is a simply devastating track to put near the end. The beats soon fizzle and jump their way out, leading for the soothing melodies and beautiful sound scape of ‘Childhood Montage’ by BT to close the mix. Why not end with a man that has played such a vital role in shaping the progressive world.
Now I’m not afraid at all to give this mix, and indeed James Zabiela, a 10. I’m not afraid because I must confess that I had quite high expectations for this mix fully knowing what to expect from James. He is not the new kid on the block anymore, and as such, I, amongst many really know what to expect from him. And despite this, despite the fact I’ve set the bar quite high, he has quite simply put me in awe yet again. In a market where mix compilations simply breed like rabbits on the record shelves, there is a strict criterion in which a compilation must rise to stand above all.
Firstly the track selection for me is flawless. There is variety from funky, to tech, to progressive to techno. Secondly, the mixing is needless to say not an issue, in that it is so good at times that you forget that he is putting them together. Thirdly, and some may say the most important is the programming. There is probably only a small handful of other DJ’s in the world, armed with the same tracks and equipment that could have done as good a job, and made it as FUN as Zabiela has here. The flow is brilliant, and it is no wonder why some of the great DJ’s like Sasha who have been in the game for over 2 decades, are so impressed and blown away by the talents of JZ. It’s time you were amazed by him too.Alive - Part 1
01. Luke Vibert – Ambalek (Zabiela’s Delboy Edit)
02. Diplomat – The Number One MC & DJ Crew
03. Jason Sparks – Gangsters (Si Begg Remix)
04. Elite Force – Peyote Road
05. Hisham Samawi – Holding On
06. Rob Mello – Fantasize (No Ears Dub)
--. Underworld – Dark & Long (Zabiela’s Live Dub & Long Mash Up)
07. Hisham Samawi – Spirals
08. Smash TV – Circuit Breaker
09. Dallas Holiday – Forgive
10. Atomic feat. Sweet Hustler – Shine a Light (Lee Coombes Remix)
11. Downpressor – Nine (Elite Force Remix)
12. Sven Sarvarko – Transition
13. Donacha Costello – Colorseries Blue A
14. Jeff Bennett – Strange Items (Zabiela’s Tease Edit)
Alive - Part 2
01. Southampton Sounds with TARDIS Record Fuzz (Zabiela’s Homebaked Intro)
02. Basic Pleasure Model – How To Live (R3volve Remix / Zabiela’s CDJFX
Dubit)
03. Sound Alliance – C’est La Dior
04. PJ Davy – What it’s Worth
05. Lincoln – Funky Odd Box
06. Perc – Ice Cream For Kenton (Spartak’s Tek Dub)
07. Diplomat – ZX Complex
08. Kraymon & Future Funk Squad – Firewater
09. Alex Arzeno & Ali Kay – A New Day
10. Deetron – Don’t You Know Why (Edit 9000)
11. Momu – Aduro (Blake Potters Remix)
12. Quadsquad – Reach
13. BT - Childhood Montage