(Fabric/Inertia)

This was always going to be a hotly anticipated release but made to feel all the more special when dealing with the process of ‘unwrapping’ the standard issue Fabric metal box. Despite the claims of ‘breaks purists uproar’ of the Evil Nine sound by Marine Parade honcho and former PR spinster Adam Freeland, since their debut Evil Nine have been welcomed by fans, critics and peers alike for their refreshing and new take on the breaks sound. Their DJ sets see the duo of Tom Beaufoy and Pat Pardy take no less of an all encompassing approach to rocking a dance floor. Fabriclive 28 is a snapshot of what to expect from Evil Nine from their monthly residency at the London superclub.

“File under breaks” claims the nicely written press release accompanying the CD. However it’s this type of classification that Evil Nine seem very keen to steer clear of. Fabriclive 28 travels a path of gritty electro, minimal techno, punk, rock, house and of course breakbeat. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the album is Evil Nine’s involvement in only one of the tracks, remixing album opener ‘Where Is It?’ by Will Saul from his excellent album ‘Space Between’. It’s sound is familiar and acts as a pathway from the Evil Nine you know to where they want to now take you with Fabriclive.

Word of warning, this mix does take a little warming to. Initial impressions were of 17 tracks that sounded fabulous turned up loud with all types of bleeps and squeaks tweaked to full effect in a mix that failed to show any cohesion and flow. And in some parts it is hard to shake this feeling.

The album traverses a journey of gritty mixes of the Bodyrockers and Riton to the minimal sounds of Thomas Schumacher, Paul Woolford and that track of the moment from The Bassbin Twins (The Dogs). It continues through remixes of Franz Ferdinand with Daft Punk to punk heroes The Clash, who sound surprisingly mellow as album closers.

It’s refreshing having a breaks compilation from one of the scene’s current figureheads not being dominated by obvious big tracks from their peers they play alongside. Evil Nine continue to dictate their own terms. It is by no means a clear winner and at times frustratingly static. Great tunes, just not enough flow. Still worth checking out as it’s one that will sound wicked in your car turned up to 11.