(Renaissance/Stomp)

The Renaissance brand name is synonymous with quality progressive house music and it has consistently promoted the best music the genre has to offer, often compiled and mixed by some of the best DJs on the planet.  From the earliest release by Sasha and John Digweed in 1993 through to this year’s releases, most fans of progressive music would have various Renaissance mixes in their collection that hold a special place in their heart and I am no exception. 

Their latest release is mixed and compiled by Dave Seaman who already has a number of Renaissance releases under his belt and who is probably the most prolific progressive house DJ of the past ten years.  Not only has he been involved with numerous Renaissance releases but there have been Global Underground triumphs as well as the excellent Therapy Sessions series. 

Being a fan of Dave’s work, I was naturally excited to hear that he’d compiled another Master Series mix; but what really got me excited were the messages I got from friends overseas telling me to grab this CD as quickly as possible as it was “something special”.  So I can honestly say that my hands were trembling in anticipation as I placed the disc into the CD player.

The first track reminded me immediately of “Airdrawndagger” so it was no surprise to see that the track had been remixed by none other than Sasha. Whilst the track didn’t grab me immediately, it has started to grow on me, with its lazy broken beats fracturing up its pace and high pitched synth sounds falling like raindrops, both random and soothing at the same time. 

Dave signals his intention to up-the-tempo right from the second track, as melodic bass lines come to the fore and immediately give the mix a far more purposeful stance.  The beats swing between the regular and the jarring as synth sounds fight to break loose whilst cement-strength bass lines hold it all together. As the broken beats of the third track give way to house music’s usual “four to the floor”, Dave pulls the proverbial rabbit out of the hat. 

Progressive house is not really known for male vocal tracks.  Sure it has tracks that feature men speaking the odd word or two, but melodic vocals are rare indeed.  That’s what makes the fourth track on the mix, “The Hearts A Lonely Hunter” by Thievery Corporation, such a surprise and an extremely pleasant one at that.  The vocals are provided by David Byrne, who was in the group Talking Heads.  Now I know that I am a (cough) child of the 80s and I have a soft spot for Talking Heads, but this track really is one of the absolute stand-outs on the first disc.  If this journey is indeed by spaceship, as the lyrics allude, I for one am desperate to go along for the ride!

Now I want you to stop for a moment and think of a time when you were in a club and you got lost in the moment.  Your mind is blank, and all of a sudden you realise that you have had no thoughts at all for quite some time beyond the movement of your body.  If you have ever experienced such a moment you are bound to connect with “Memory Man” by Slacker.  If you have never experienced such a moment, listen to this track – the shimmering bass lines will invade your consciousness and soon you’ll be on the same page as the rest of us!  This mix is getting better and better with each passing moment.

Over the next five tracks Dave treats us to music of exceptional quality without needing to intensify proceedings.  Rolling bass lines perpetuate the soundscape as shimmering melodies dance and loop incessantly leaving you desperate for more. With about twenty five minutes left to go on disc one, Dave drops “For the time being” by Phonique which is my second favourite track of the first disc. I take the lyrics literally and “lose control”.  Driving, relentless, dark bass lines pound my eardrums like Viking Warriors at the gates of Valhalla, and I am immersed in something of soaring beauty….. this is insanely….. well, I have run out of superlatives and I’m not even through the first disc.  I am seriously enjoying this CD more than anything else I have ever reviewed!

The mood of the next three tracks is as intensely beautiful as it is enjoyable and culminates in what is, in my opinion, the best track on the entire mix: “Tracking Treasure Down”.  This tune has the capacity to be as huge a number as Delerium’s “Silence” or Way Out West’s “Mindcircus”. It’s that powerful. The first disc on this mix is one of the best hours of progressive music that I have heard in a long, long time.  Dave has combined brilliant track selection with the perfect mix of excellent new underground sounds and future classics.  Not only has he chosen brilliant music, but he has also sequenced them in a way that makes this disc an absolute pleasure to listen to. 

After the driving power of the last few tracks of the first mix, the opening of the second disc is tame by comparison.  But by the second track Dave signals his intentions for the next hour by blending in more dominating bass lines and lifting the tempo.  By the time Killahurtz’s “don’t walk away” enters the fray, the bass lines are darker than a coal miner’s lung whilst shimmering trance-tinged melodies give the music a lighter and ultimately joyful substance. On my first listen I really didn’t enjoy Sean Quinn and Andy Page’s “SQAP” but after a few times it has become one of the more interesting and enjoyable tracks on the disc.  It has a messy quality at first, but it builds and tightens as it progresses and once it gets inside your head it doesn’t let you go until it’s put a huge grin on your face. 

The second mix is dominated by driving, relentless, progressive house music with bass lines that punch harder than Joe Foreman; yet the music is never overtaken by darkness and it retains a quality that will work really well in a live setting.  Whilst the second mix doesn’t have the brilliant progression and track selection of the first, it almost matches it in terms of its sense of fun and its passion.  The only real disappointment for me was that the remix of Bedrock’s “Santiago” isn’t a patch on the original.  It’s not a bad track, but I would have preferred the original mix.

If Dave plays music like this on his upcoming tour event there won’t be one person sitting on the sidelines; it will be impossible to do so.  This whole mix is about enjoyment for the listener and making people smile and dance.  It is full of moments of such searing beauty that I could keep talking about them all day, but I want you to experience this for yourself.  Progressive music, or more accurately Renaissance releases, haven’t been this much fun in years.  Buy yourself two copies tomorrow and give one to a friend!