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Various Artists - Renaissance: The Masters Series Vol 9, Mixed by Satoshi Tomiie
Created On May 1st, 2007 by Lambretta
Progressive house fans will know Satoshi Tomiie best for his Global Underground release in the ‘Nu-Breed’ series earlier this decade. I didn’t purchase any of the ‘Nu-Breed’ series at the time it was released, and only recently listened to them. Maybe I missed the point, but I found the majority of the music in that series pedestrian, and Satoshi’s mix was not an exception to the rule. The ‘Renaissance Master Series’, however, is a different proposition entirely, and I was actually relishing the opportunity to listen to some new music by an artist that so many hold in such high esteem.
The first disc opens with laid back, soothing house grooves which slowly build in intensity and morph with deeper sounds and tech fused touches that hang around on the sidelines, menacing the listener with their presence but keeping their distance for the time being. Then, just when you feel Satoshi is moving towards a more progressive tech style, he subtly slides back into a house groove once again. I wouldn’t call the house music on the first disc deep house perse, but it certainly is slow house. It lacks the energy, punch and cheekiness of the music that Nic Fanciulli plays, but it does have a depth about it that makes it worthwhile listening quite a few times before making up your mind. One such track is *King Roc’s ‘Welcome to Zion’. On first, well actually after repeated listens, I just didn’t understand what it was doing in this mix. It slows down the proceedings, has a monotonous bass riff, and it got under my skin in an infuriating manner. However, familiarity in this case didn’t breed contempt and I now have a grudging respect for the track.
The luscious house sounds at the start of the mix eventually fuse with traditional progressive sounds and by the middle of the first mix Satoshi is walking a tightrope between house music and very slow “prog”. During this period there are occasional threats of an up-shift in tempo (and with it my interest levels), but these are mere teasers. Tracks such as The Right Wing’, ‘Darkroomboot’ and the mind-bogglingly annoying ‘So That’s What Happens’ are prime examples of this “flatness” in the mix. In a recent interview, Satoshi said that he selected the music on each disc because he wanted to create two separate seventy-minute mixes that sounded to the listener as if they could be single tracks. I must admit that on my first listen I believed he certainly had achieved this. The programming and mixing is incredibly clever and the music segues from one track to another in a manner that is naturally effortless. However, this clever feat is almost the undoing of the mix, as keeping to virtually the same speed and key all the way through means there are periods where, at first, you find yourself wishing that something different or interesting would happen.
Of course it does happen, and in ways that will delight you if you’re patient and give the music the time it deserves to work its magic on your consciousness. This review has been extensively re-written since I first set to work, and I’m glad that I gave myself the time to come to understand what Satoshi was doing, as his mixing and track selections are so subtle that they’re hard to appreciate without the fullness of time and the benefit of a decent sound system. I’d like to take this opportunity to issue a listener warning. Please do not load this mix directly to your iPod and only listen to it through that medium. If you do then you’ll probably miss much of what this mix is all about – depth, slow intensity and subtlety. Play this music loud and on a sound system with balls. You will be rewarded.
Ok, back to the music. The second disc immediately announces itself as a tougher sounding proposition than the first, but seeing as the first disc is about as tough as a bunch of flowers it’s not that difficult! The sound at the beginning of this mix is all about the tech-infused progressive approach that has become so prevalent over the past twelve months; but thankfully it’s a warmer, more fluid sound than the annoyingly cold and bleep-ridden ‘Transitions Vol 2’ released recently by John Digweed. The delightfully named producer Thugfucker brings us his imaginatively named track ‘Ahhh’. It’s hard to tell from the title if that’s a Tarzan type “Ahhh” designed to summons the beasts from the heart of the jungle, or if he’s just had a satisfying cup of tea. Having listened to the track I get the feeling he’s more acquainted with tea than tigers. This track fuses into a song called ‘I need’. A strangely infectious little tune, that at first I thought was “I need another idea to add to this track to make it worth releasing but I’ve run out of time to come up with one and I really need the royalties, so here you go” – but the switch to the better sound system squashed that train of thought!
The subtle shifts between tracks are so subtle that even the CD player can’t pick one track from the next. The sleeve notes advise me that there are 13 tracks on the second disc and yet my various CD players can only locate 11. This does make track identification somewhat difficult, especially as my computer can’t read any track information either! However what I can tell you is the mix between Matt O’Brien’s ‘Serotone’ and ‘Lose Control’ is an absolute stormer! The dark intense bass riff of ‘Lose Control’ is one of the real highlights of this second mix, and as I listen to it through quality headphones my little hand-dances interrupt my typing. If you’re after a fast-paced, driving form of progressive house, then you really are looking in the wrong place. This mix is all about deep, dark and brooding prog, which draws the listener into a world of layered, textured beauty and envelops your ears in the musical equivalent of treacle. It’s thick, it moves at a painfully slow pace, but there is a hypnotic quality about it that is appealing. It’s the subtlety that always catches me out with progressive. Even in faster-paced tracks such as Pablo Akaros’s ‘Celofans’ the bass riff and drum beat runs at a slower pace than the synths, giving the track both a meandering yet quick quality at the same time. It’s often a little disconcerting, but I really like the way it tries to throw you – subtly of course!
The one and only “obvious” build-up in the whole mix occurs during the penultimate track, and this also represents the absolute high point of the mix in my opinion. I love the way progressive music builds over time, but I often get the feeling that it should let loose and have bit more fun as well. This mix has taken it’s time to grow on me, and I am now sufficiently happy. Please do yourself a favour and give the music the opportunity to grow on you before you make your mind up. You’ll be rewarded if you do.
sonicc says...
sonicc says...
Another spot on Lambretta review. I might just give this mix another chance now.
aries says...
Fairly decent mix. Much rathered Transitions 2 tho. As u said CD1 doesnt really go anywhere. However the great technical mixin must be commended. Most of the releases off Renaissance these days r more about a musical journey than a Dj mix.
kris-ko says...
Yep, this one is a definite darkhorse, and when it peaks on Shlomi Aber/Bao 'Crop Duster' two tracks from the end it's pretty incredible stuff!