Some might say that progressive house has plodded its way to a slow and painful death. I am afraid to say that these people may as well have gone to school in the Southern states of America, where the word “evolution” has been banned, as these people have seemingly lost all faith in the sound’s ability to reinvent itself. Progressive house has merely gone through a phase of transition, evolution and even a changing of the guard. Both up and coming and well established DJs and producers are leading prog forward into an exciting new direction (leaving the “plod” factor behind). America’s Jimmy Van M is but one of these DJs helping prog reach new heights of inspiration.

As Chris Fortier did with his volume in the Balance series, Jimmy Van M has put together a three disc collection. The first disc is a chilled out “down-tempo” selection, the second is a “mid-tempo” mix, and suffice it to say that the third mix launches into the “up-tempo” side of things. I must say that I had slipped in the mid-tempo mix first and thought that it was the down-tempo selection. Contrary to what most other DJs have offered with their Balance mixes, Jimmy Van M has created three mixes that have all been designed for lounge room listening (whereas most Balance mixes, to me, inspire thoughts of being in that DJs presence in a club or huge outdoor stage). Whilst I was hoping for and expecting a clubby compilation from Jimmy Van M, I am far from disappointed with Balance: 10. Jimmy Van M has stamped his name on this series by whipping up something unique, something with personality and something that has done the Balance series proud.

Disc 1 (the down-tempo mix) is, as the name suggests, a sit back and relax with a creamy cocktail affair. From start to finish the mix is delicate, delectable, drifty and deep as Jimmy Van M is seemingly inviting us to a chillout session following a huge night out. Most of the tracks don’t have a percussive beat and they all have a distinctive electronic chill feel. Memories and visions of far away exotic places are likely as “Babylon Ghost” by Bill Laswell takes you away with a Jamaican feel before The Future Sound of London’s “Study of Six Guitars” flows like a cool alpine morning breeze from your speakers. “Autumn Leaves” (sampled by Way Out West in “The Fall”) is perhaps the down-tempo mix’s most satisfying treat as it takes the original vocal and surrounds it with a sumptuously mellow melody.

It goes without saying that a lot of people might be surprised by such an offering by Jimmy Van M and the Balance series. Both the DJ and the series clearly want to do something different so as to give the listener a breath of fresh air. Jimmy Van M probably wants nothing more than to deliver something different rather than regurgitating a club like performance over three discs? Jimmy Van M’s Down-tempo mix has indeed won my heart and with tracks like Anoushka Shanka’s “Beloved” (check out the guitar fused driftiness of this gem,) this true chillout CD won’t be leaving one of the five slots in my CD player for a while yet.

Jimmy Van M’s “mid-tempo” mix isn’t quite as awe inspiring as the “down-tempo” mix, but it is nonetheless a top draw effort. My flagging excitement might be due in part to the fact that both the down and mid-tempo mixes are so similar, in that they are both designed very much for the lounge room or the bar. What I was expecting was a mid-tempo mix featuring a deeper, darker foray into progressive house’s black forest whilst the “up-tempo” mix would be a dance floor friendly electro-house fest. Neither expectation has materialised, but as I say this is hardly a bad thing. Jimmy Van M clearly wants his club tracks to remain in the club whilst leaving the lounge room friendly cuts for the lounge room. All the while Jimmy Van M is signalling his intent on inviting us all into a realm of new and fresh sounds whilst we sit out on the proch in the sun, with coffee or cold bevvy in hand.

“How Are You” by Steve T is simply divine. This is the kind of track that will see to it that the back button on your stereo wears out faster than any other button as it takes you away with a delightful vocal and an Indian undertone. The flow of the mid-tempo mix could be a little bit smoother as it does get a tad rocky at times however this is soon forgotten about with the multitude of exceptional individual tracks that are to be found across the mix. Following on from “How Are You” is the goth-rock inspired “Blue Bell Knoll” by The Cocteau Twins and then there is the melancholy melody of “Bubbles” by Ellen Allien & Apparat. Towards the end of the mid-tempo mix the four to the floor beat remains constant making for an interesting conclusion. The mix concludes with a classic (which is something of a surprise) which comes in the shape of St. Etienne’s “Cool Kids of Death.”

If chilled out beats and laid back melodies ain’t your dig, you’ll probably want to head straight for the up-tempo mix. As with this entire compilation so far, Jimmy Van M wants us to stay at his place whilst sipping on a cocktail that is no doubt famous in his native Florida. Sometimes mix CDs hit the mark square on the head when it comes to creating the kind of vibe that its namesake would create when he or she is behind the decks at a club, but then they fall short in the staying power department. Jimmy Van M wants us to get ready to paint the town red with his up-tempo mix rather than burning us out before we even get there. There are a few bouncy moments as one might well expect but Jimmy Van M’s up-tempo mix all the same will not override the pre-clubbing excitement or conversations.

If you were to go straight from the mid to the up-tempo mix, you’ll notice that the two flow on from each other quite nicely. “Les Djinns” by Djuma Soundsystem, like “Cool Kids of Death” is a classic track. I can’t get enough of CDs and DJ sets that start off with something big as I get the feeling that the DJ in question means business. Things cool down quickly allowing us to get into the groove of the mix and it is during these early stages that Jimmy Van M drops down some beats of an almost minimal tech nature. San Lebowski’s “Reducer 2” is thrown into the melting pot to create a dark, eerie and smoky flavour. Jordano’s “No Gravity” continues with the dark vibe but then adds a stronger beat to add just a little bit more spice. Throughout the entire Up-tempo mix Jimmy Van M has gone with the minimal tech influence whilst the vibe flows on in all sorts of different directions, without making things too bumpy or disjointed.

As the up-tempo mix comes to a groovy conclusion (the closing track is again a classic in the making; “Like You” by Gui Boratto,) it becomes clear that Jimmy Van M really wanted to put together something unique and different. Whilst most prog DJs have embraced the electro-house sound Jimmy Van M has kept the faith in what prog still has to offer. The stamp of individuality, innovation and invention is clearly visible across all three Balance 10 CDs. Every Balance CD has something truly special going for it and this one is no exception. Once again though it is down to personal preference and perception as some may not like this offering as even though all three discs are labelled according to tempo, they all feature a fairly down-tempo nature. I for one though will be keeping this one close by the cocktail shelf.