(Fabric/DMC)

Having honed his skills as a musician playing bass in skate-punk bands as a teenager, Mark Pember caught the electronic bug and went on to produce music under the Ceasefire and Avenue A monikers, before eventually going solo as Meat Katie in 1996. Having released two artist albums and mix compilations, produced a ream of remixes and collaborations, and established two music labels, Katie has been bequeathed the task of delivering the 21st installment of Fabric’s Live CD series.

MK’s sound is more progressive and less generic than many of his counterparts, and this CD is no exception. Katie brings together a selection of tracks from big name breaks acts like Lee Coombs, Elite Force, Unkle, Koma & Bones, Atomic Hooligan and our own darlings Infusion. Tracks from Kingsize which has regularly released Katie’s original productions and Pember’s own new Whole 9 Yards offshoot Lot 49 dominate the mix.

Having been DJing in clubs for the last three years, Katie mixes up the sounds and styles like a veteran with journey, depth, dimension and cohesion. Although there are elements of cheese like the vocal in Dylan Rhymes’ Salty, you can’t go past the big stompers like Metric’s Stale, the progressive psychedelic Vigi & Nectarios (EK Remix), to the stepping Sound of Lisbon.

It’s all good and jam-packed with deep tech and electro sounds and sexy percussion we’ve come to love and expect from him. Katie beautifully marries Infusion’s Better World with Unkle’s Reigh Acapella and creates a sonic pool for you to swim through with Atomic Hooligan’s Shine A Light.  The skillfully-placed and hypnotic mind bender Circuit Breaker’s Gateway is sure to send anyone on the dance-floor into a gooey tingling mush, while Vandal’s Mad As Hell will leave you exhilarated and screaming from a window.

At 17 tracks it’s great value, and although it is a main floor rocking party set, it brings the sort of sounds you can dance to and cruise to depending on your mood. There’s ample action in the melody and treble to keep the head drifting, thumping mid to keep the boys fists pumping and lots of deep fat bottom end to keep the girls asses swaying.

Apparently Meat Katie is planning a tour to Australia towards the end of this year to promote a new album which he is currently in the studio writing with Elite Force for Kingsize, so keep an watchful eye to ITM for all the info.