Matthias Tanzmann: Fabric 65
Fabric

Matthias Tanzmann's goals for his fabric mix were simple: “I wanted to show music that touches me right now, and at the same time won't be so popular that it will be out of fashion after this year. I would like the CD to be enjoyable for many years to come.” Even a cursory listen to his driving set suggests that his goals have been met, even if the latter can't be known with certainty until some future time. Born in Leipzig in 1977, Tanzmann's been a DJ since 1996 and a producer since 2000, the same year he founded Moon Harbour Recordings (on which many of his own recordings have appeared). After founding a second label, Cargo Edition, in 2006, Tanzmann further established himself a year later via a residency at the famous party series Circoloco at DC10 in Ibiza.

There's a dazed, morning-after vibe to the mix's opening minutes, a feel especially evident when a tenor sax purrs sleepily during Minimono's “Venus,” but after about four minutes the track gathers strength and focus when a kick drum pattern locks into position, paving the way for the rubbery bass bounce and slippery groove of Clockwork & Avatism's “One Trick Pony.” Occasional jazz touches—the aforementioned sax, a piano's tinkle—surface during the ride's seventy-two minutes, but Tanzmann's mix is assuredly not about jazz. It's a hard-hitting and rhythm-heavy house mix that's best played loud in order for the full effect of its sinuous grooves to take hold—look no further than the cut-throat beat slamming its way through Monkey Maffia's “Sources From The Past” (replete with lyrics lifted from Bobbie Gentry's “Ode To Billy Joe”) for proof. Voiceovers add variety and spice to an otherwise bottom-heavy set, though they also contribute to a slight sag and lapse in focus at the set's middle, during Davide Squillace's “Do Somebody” and Jeff Moore & Jamie Lie A Kwie's “Butt” specifically. Tanzmann's own deep remix of Silicone Soul's “Right On, Right On” rights the ship, however, and sets the mix back on course for the remaining third. Other highlights include the irresistibly soulful swing of Maya Jane Coles' “Not Listening” and Philip Bader's rollicking remix of Guido Schneider & Florian Schirmacher's “In The Toilette.”

September 2012