Day 1

The first thing that I notice about the new compilation mixed by the consistently brilliant Steve Lawler is the name he has chosen, Viva. To me the name Viva conjures up images of bland 1970s cars and Elvis Presley. And not the good Elvis, but the fat, badly dressed and dieing on stage Elvis. Is Steve making a statement here? I decide to dive in and find out. The accompanying blurb tells me that the first disc is actually known as “Day 1” and it’s the warm up disc. Suitably informed, I tune in, relax and wait patiently for the long slow build to commence.

“Day 1” commences with a male a cappella or rather an ode to the misfits who dwell on the fringes of our world, and then slides into the first track with the lazy grace of the moon rising over the horizon. Laid-back drum beats and hazy bass lines play in unison while a wonderful vocal that is both electronically enhanced and soulful completes the picture. The effect is one that puts you well within your comfort zone, but somehow it feels decidedly un-Lawler which makes it all the more intriguing. Just as you are reclining in a lazy Sunday afternoon fashion, the music lurches sideways and throws you out of your armchair and onto a dance floor made from black ice. You grasp for something to cling to and as always with Lawler a dark and brooding formation in the music takes shape and things start to unfurl.

“Break” by Livio and Roby arrives with a shift in pace that catches you off guard. There’s no long, drawn out mix, but there is an up-lift in tempo that is as noticeable as you’ll find in the whole mix and while the track listing tells me that this is the fourth track, it’s really the third and already we’re cruising along at quite a pace. For those among you who are the proud owners of the luminary Lights Out 3, you’ll understand the sort of music that Steve is playing in this mix. It’s possibly even a touch more on the techy side than Lights Out 3. But the aural flashes of light from the high pitched tech bleeps and squelches only serve to highlight the depth of the darkness that lies beyond.

It’s easy to get lost in the lusciousness of the first disc but I am shaken from my daze by a drum break in Oliver Huntemann’s “50.1” that is straight out the theme tune from the 1980’s cop show Miami Vice. The drum may be Miami Vice, but instead of Crockett and Tubbs locking up badly-dressed hamfisted actors, this is more like Judge Dread dispensing justice with a laser-powered chainsaw. Awesome stuff! The only fault in this first mix (and it’s a minor one) is the Peter Heller track “Simpler” which is strangely infectious but so annoyingly repetitive that it pushes my patience right to the absolute limit. The track consists of a two second melody repeated ad-nauseum for more than eight minutes. The melody does change pace and intensity, but after hearing the same sound for the one millionth time it really grates on your nerves. The upside of this minor blemish is that it makes the following track “Acid test”, a stand out in its own right, sound even better!

Day 1 may be billed as the warm up, but the music contained within is definitely main event stuff. The intensity and rise in progression in this disc is subtle, yet extremely powerful. In Norse mythology the God of Thunder was Thor and in my mind’s eye I see Steve, standing Thor-like, using his decks to create a storm and wreak havoc upon the minds of the listener. I know that I am banging on like a barn door in a storm, but this first disc alone is worthy of making this album compilation of the year. Close all entries now and don’t bother turning up to the awards ceremony unless it’s to pay homage to a master.

Day 2

If the first day was all about subtle progression in a rumbling storm, then Day 2 is a different proposition altogether. The information I was sent tells me that this disc is all about setting the dance floor on fire with Steve’s most powerful music. The marketing information may be a true reflection of Steve’s intention, but to me the reality is far removed from this description. My initial impression was that the first half of this mix sounded like an asthmatic alien attempting to copulate with a Casio keyboard against its will. A set of seemingly random bleeps and squeals lie over the top of half-hearted beats and insipid bass lines which take what seems like an eternity to go anywhere. But the impression the music gave me was probably tainted by the fact that I was expecting a full force barnstorming blast from the dark recesses of Lawler world.

What I discovered after a few more listens is that this is a very clever and well constructed piece of music. The progression in tempo on this disc is completely different to that of the first; it starts off slower and takes longer to build to a climax that just about manages to surpass the peak power of the first mix. Yet the power isn’t maintained and the tail end of the mix is a little more drawn out. This however is not a bad thing. The mix is full of subtlety and panache that builds ever so slowly at first, concealing the darkness from the listener and only occasionally allowing glimpses of what is around the corner. Then, just when you think nothing is ever going to happen, part way through the Trick and Cubik mix of “Monique” by Kaiser Souzai the pace suddenly leaps forward. From here the mix takes on a life of its own as luscious, soot-smeared bass lines, pounding, relentless drum beats and wondrous melody dominate the soundscape, and you can’t help but be swept along in the moment.

You should definitely not judge this mix on your first go. While it is similar in many ways to the sound of the first disc, it also has a far more experimental feel in parts and it’s something that you really only begin to understand after prolonged exposure. But trust me, when that understanding comes, you will be ecstatic that you gave the music the opportunity to get inside your skull and unleash itself on your aural pleasure zones. Lawler weaves his dark magic throughout both discs with typical trademark power, but this CD is more than just a collection of tough records played one after the other – this is a compilation that is instantly enjoyable in some parts and worth getting to know in others. In short, a compilation worth owning and telling your friends about and almost definitely the turning point for the fortune of the word Viva. From this day forward Viva will no longer bring forth images of bland Vauxhalls, but the passion and power of amazing music!

Day 3

What? Are you still here? Why aren’t you beating a fast path to your nearest record shop to demand two, no three copies of this CD? Oh, you’re expecting me to tell you about the third mix: the after-party chill out CD? Now why on earth would I go and do a thing like that? After all, if the first two discs are so amazing, the third mix could be an absolute pile of trash and you should still buy the compilation.

Ok, so I admit it. I’ve been so caught up with the first two discs that I haven’t given this particular mix the attention it deserves, but it seems to me to be a little bit of an after-thought and not a particularly inspired one either. It’s not until the fifth track that a beat even occurs, which in itself isn’t bad as some of the swirling sounds are soothing and actually do what they are designed to do, which is to place the listener in a space of calm relaxation. But from the midpoint onwards, the music just loses me. Messy break beats phase in and out without much in the way of a melody and in parts it’s too scratchy and tech-based to be called a chill out session. The music is so stop-start and lacking in power that I can’t get excited about it. To me, a chill out CD should soothe the soul and this doesn’t really do that. Even though some of the music is very, well, interesting.

To be honest the first two discs more than merit ownership of this CD without the third being necessary and while I don’t think that this mix detracts from the overall compilation, it doesn’t add much either. But what does it matter what I write this far down. You’ve already stopped reading ages ago and you’re on your way to your nearest record store. Aren’t you?