(Bedrock/Stomp)

The unsubstantiated love child of John Digweed delivers a flawless concoction of distorted hi-hats, epic melodies, rich percussion, dredging basslines and beautiful layers all mixed with that Luke Fair Canadian flair that he is famous.

This release is the third in the closely followed and widely admired Bedrock Original Series. The beauty of the series are the DJs brought in to do the mixing. Series one and two saw the fresh and vibrant Desyn Masiello and Jonathan Lisle brings their trademark sounds into action and now who else would be more suited to the third series? I have been a fan of Luke for four years now. His trademark sound of house, tech and progressive all mixed with that vibe that only Luke is famous for has seen his popularity grow respectably. Luke masterfully blends what is to be expected from a Bedrock compilation and what you get when the man play his DJ sets. Luke’s mix unfolds in three primary stages.

The first five tracks are all short cuts worked together seamlessly. The mix doesn’t waste any time delving into hypnotic tech in the form of Sebastien Leger’s “Mooguno”. Next up, Upfade’s “Friday Loops”, continues the trend of dominant hi-hat splattering, but guides the mix into more melodic territory. The transitions are as flawless as we have come to expect. Moving into some vocal grounds, here the tech elements subside and tasty house chords dominate. As always with Fair’s works, its not your run-of-the-mix house, its bass and top-end heavy, layered with jazzy melodies and masculine house chords. The mix into Arcade Mode’s “Ain’t No” is a stand out of the mix, it leads us into a solid serving of electro and acid infused left-field house.

“Ain’t No” is a track that really sums up Luke’s current style, it uses the uses full-on top-end hi-hats, is bass heavy and has an unusual distorted dredging riff running the whole way through it. Next up were into “Bulldog Beats” by Moonbootica; the track signals the first pinnacle of the mix. It’s lush and unique showcasing a rich sophisticated melody and a subtle electro infused bassline. The track is seriously hypnotic and really draws you into the mix. The mix into Skylark’s “When In Rome” is probably the weakest link in the mix, but as a Dj I’d have to say one of the my biggest troubles is in making the transition to change the direction of a mix.

The epic riff of “When In Rome” guide listeners carefully into the closing stages of the mix. Luke definitely saved the best for last. “La Serenissima” by T & F vs. Moltosugo is a real ‘Bedrock’ piece of music. The track with its basic structure, piano chords and growing epic melody takes me back to the earlier releases on the Bedrock label. From here the mix takes a more progressive direction, don’t get worried; not inane progressive, but tough house music with an edge. The intensity increases as we move into Mashtronic’s “Supernova”. The track is a raw electrifying modern take on the days of progressive old, a real masterpiece.

As we move into the latest offering from Rowan Blades & Chris Lake listeners a treated to their first dose of real acid. The track is a tasty cocktail of jazzy up-tempo piano chords, bass blow-offs and beautifully layered melodies. Entering the closing stages Luke includes his remix made with Desyn Masiello of Torley Wong’s “Xristophan”. The tracks large breakdown of growing acid drops and wind swept melodies leads us into a classy tale of sophisticated melodies and hands-in-the-air style strings. From here Luke leaves us with Lifelike’s “Waves”; its heavily distorted hi-hats, epic chords, hardly identifiable uplifting vocals and lush wet-sounding melodies leave the listener in a state of aural pleasure, a perfect final track.

I must say this really is a stand out compilation of the year. Luke really nailed it!