Sander Kleinenberg: This is... Sander Kleinenberg
Renaissance

Sander Kleinenberg splits his eclectic double-disc Renaissance mix into ‘left' and ‘right' sides, but more precise titling might be ‘breezy summer outdoor party' and ‘late-night dance club.' The Little Mountain Recordings head's an experienced hand at this sort of thing; after growing up in rural eastern Holland, he started his first DJ residency at age fifteen, was named European DJ of the year for 2006 by Winter Music Conference voters, and has received remix requests from the likes of Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson.

The first half is a lovely, seventy-minute collection of buoyant dance-funk grooves and synthesizer sparkle. Seamlessly woven cuts by Diskjokke, Kraak & Smaak, Bad Mouth, and Luckystars lay the foundation for a trance-flavoured second half highlighted by Hypno's “Got Bread,” Chymera's “Arabesque,” Pitch & Hold's “Battle of Flowers,” and pounding remixes of Robert Babicz's “Sin” and Deep Flexion's “Emotions of the Night” by Boratto and Trent Cantrelle respectively. Kleinenberg contains the mix's euphoric mood throughout much of the trip but gradually intensifies it with repeated build-ups until it climaxes with Gui Boratto's glorious “Beautiful Life.”

Opening with an a cappella intro by Siciana Soul that bleeds into Rhythm & Sound's “Jah Rule,” disc two's shift in tone is immediately obvious. Though its beginning might suggest as much, the second half isn't a dub mix, but a deeply grooving set that flirts with disco, trance, and stomping electro as much as techno and house. Standout moments include the rumbling techno funk of Nic Fanciull's makeover of Martin Eyerer & Stephan Hinz's “Tucann” the sleek Bushwacka! ‘dub' of Blake & Monroe's “Summer's Gone,” and Umek's charging “Carbon Occasions.” Schossow & Sagstad's pounding electro-funk remix of Lützenkirchen's “Last Night in Vegas” leaves a lasting impression, especially when it gets battered by asteroid synth shrapnel, as does Dubfire's storming minimal treatment of Christian Smith & John Selway's “Transit Time.”

September 2007