Incoming

I’ve been a fan of the Fabric and FABRICLIVE mixes for a number of years. A new mix in each series appears in alternate months, representing the sound of the DJs who play the London club on Fridays and Saturdays. The FABRICLIVE mixes are often riotous affairs, taking in everything from hip-hop, grime, drum and bass and electro, while the Fabric CDs are deeper treads through the dark alleys of techno. Personal favourites include Diplo‘s FABRICLIVE (my introduction to the man) as well as those of Spank Rock and Cut Copy, while on the Fabric end of things, I have been most impressed by the contributions of Carl Craig, Ewan Pearson and Global Communication.

Sometimes the DJs revel in the obvious: Spinbad’s mix is peppered with hip-hop classics such as Rapper’s Delight and Sound of Da Police; The Herbaliser dropped James Brown and the Jackson 5; Yoda even played Blister In The Sun. Going against the grain, James Murphy and Pat Mahoney wove a delightful selection of disco, where artists from Murphy’s DFA label sat right at home alongside the likes of Chic and Donald Byrd.

The latest tracklist to be announced was that of the upcoming Fabric mix from Metro Area, and it seems very much to sit at the Murphy/Mahoney end of things. Metro Area (Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani) was “born out of the duo’s dichotomous love of both the old moods of R&B, disco and boogie and the more cutting-edge sound of innovative house and techno.” My limited knowledge of Geist’s work leads me to believe that this will be an interesting compilation, to say the least. On his 2004 compilation, Unclassics, he wades through a selection of supposedly forgotten 80s electro and italo-disco, and it is a marvellous listen. A-Trak even borrowed a track directly from the mix for his Dirty South Dance release.

At first glance, I recognise just four artists on this mix’s tracklisting, among them Gary’s Gang, whose Do It At The Disco was reworked by Mr Oizo last year for his mind-bending Patrick122 last year. As for the rest, I remain entirely ignorant, at least until I get my hands on the mix. With any luck, I’ll be introduced to a host of new sounds, along with all the other lucky souls who see fit to add this to their collection next month.