Hernan Cattaneo: Sequential Vol. 2
Renaissance

Sequential Vol. 2 is a predictably superb two-disc house mix by native South American Hernan Cattaneo (featuring six exclusives) with the emphasis less on jarring juxtapositions than ultra-smooth flow and diversity (tracks come from Scandinavia, Holland, Germany, Israel, Greece, Argentina, England, and America). Disc one's suitably rabble-rousing though still leans towards emotive atmospheres while the second half blows the lid off.

Ushered in with an alluring lullaby (Blue Foundation's “Sweep”), the mix heats up in Crowdpleaser & St. Plomb's grooving “18 Years” and never looks back. Cattaneo's inviting sound is wide-screen and saturated with instrumental colour throughout (e.g., the gleaming piano part in Nic Fanciulli's remix of François DuBois' “I Try,” the serpentine bass line in Cattaneo and John Tonks' “Anime,” the exotic flute trills in X-Green's “In Place Solo”). Disc one highlights include the jacking strut of Kosmas Epsilon's “Paranoid (Eelke Kleijn Remix),” Itamar Sagi's pumping “Spartam,” and the light-stream swing of Marco Bailey's “ Smooth Drive (Danny Howells & Dick Trevor Mix).”

As mentioned, the mix escalates in intensity in part two, as snarling synths and a dizzying attack drive steaming cuts by James Harcourt (“Arachnofunk”), Steve Mill (“Lia”), Nick Muir (“Airtight”), and Martin Garcia (“Paper Dove”). Cattaneo maintains the breathless peak level throughout the second disc, with the vibe turning rather trance-like as it enters its final quarter. Don't miss the blazing synth figures Alex Dolby drops into the middle of the “Prodax” and the towering outro he fashions from Graham & Blades' “Argie Bargie” and Stel's “Infinity.”

June 2007