(Renaissance/Stomp/EQ)

The next instalment of the Renaissance Masters series has arrived with Argentinean house superstar Hernan Cattaneo in control of the mix. This edition brings the vibe of the Renaissance label together with the energetic blend of genres that Cattaneo builds into his hypnotic sets. Known for being able to weave together a variety of genres such as house, breaks, tech-house and even techno, his fans are as diverse as the tunes he plays. Those who saw him last year in Australia will remember his charisma and the cheeky South American personality he adds throughout his sets.

The first disc starts off deep and dreamy with Darko & Gainer – Ayahuaska, which was written specifically for this compilation. The mix continues with the sultry vocals in Richard Davies – In The Air and the nice flowing percusiive sounds of Pams Magic Tractor – Time To Kill. Other highlight tunes include: the melodic and fluid Alexander Kowalski – Scarpia; the soulful vocals of Bill Makris – Honey; and the devastating bass line and rocking tribal sounds of Bill Makris – Dreams. Jay Tripwire & Grant Dell – Slo’ Roast is also a killer tune and has a sound very reminiscent of his set I saw in Melbourne as part of the Slinky festival. The first disc was my favourite of the two, with a great chugging sound and some quality progressive tunes included.

The second disk kicks off with the sexy house number Chab – Closer To Me which sets a good foundation for some of the huge tracks ahead. The hypnotic groovy sounds of the new Josh Wink track called Oakish follow with a great acapella mix over its acid influenced sounds. The tech-house continues with a number of quality tunes that occasionally meander towards electro flavours. Cattaneo also drops a couple of his productions, one with Dean Coleman called Behind The Music which has a great atmospheric sound to it whilst keeping the bass beefed up. The second is his remix of Morgan Page & Gregory Shiff – All I Know which would guarantee to have any dance floor rocking with its huge monstrous beat and smooth sexy vocals.

Other highlights include the great big room vibe of the upcoming single on the Yoshitoshi label from Danny Howells & Stef Vrolijk – Phono Corono. Australia’s production legend Luke Chable gets a feature with one of his newer prog tune The Sheppard. The sound has a touch of the feel from While You Are Sleeping yet this once much deeper and with dreamy melodies throughout. Finally the Wrecked Angle Mix of the classic tune Age of Love is carefully set into the mix to conclude this fantastic double cd. Overall this is an excellent release, and fans of energetic and funky progressive will be amused for many listens to come. The mixing throughout both discs is tight, and the selections throughout both discs build an amazing vibe which hints at how good it is to see him live.

Track Listing:

CD1:

01 Darko & Gainer – ‘Ayahuaska’ (Reprise)
02 Richard Davies – ‘In The Air’
03 Pams Magic Tractor – ‘Time To Kill’ (DJ Harvey Remix)
04 Casa Flava – ‘Homa’
05 Alexander Kowalski – ‘Scarpia’
06 Bill Makris – ‘Honey’
07 Rolasoul – ‘Lost In Power’ (Dub)
08 Bill Makris – ‘Dreams’
09 Matthew Dekay & Alvredo – ‘Symbiosis’ (Herbal Dub)
10 Jay Tripwire & Grant Dell – ‘Slo’ Roast’
11 Tigerhook Presents Randall Jones – ‘Cultural Assertion’
12 Agent 001 – ‘Bubblebath’ (16b Mix)
13 The PQM Project – ‘Aenema’

CD2:

01 Chab featuring JD Davis – ‘Closer To Me’
02 Wink – ‘Oakish’
03 T-Empo – ‘Fouk’ (Acapella)
04 Amillionsons presents 21st Century Planet Smashers – ‘Underground Night Music’ (Dub)
05 Hernan Cattaneo & Dean Coleman – ‘Behind The Music’
06 Morgan Page & Gregory Shiff – ‘All I Know’ (Hernan Cattaneo & Martin Garcia Mix)
07 Alex Dolby – ‘Hazy Way’
08 Luke Chable presents Quest – ‘The Sheppard’
09 Steve May – ‘Open Day’
10 Danny Howells & Stef Vrolijk – ‘Phono Corono’
11 Grand Resonant – ‘Central’
12 Age of Love – ‘Age of Love’ (Wrecked Angle Mix)