This mix sees Dave Seaman returning from a two-year absence from the Renaissance fold. Renowned as a dancefloor-oriented DJ in a genre full of chin-strokers and pretenders, and recently adding a marriage and two children to his portfolio, there’s always the fear that the former great may have lost touch: not only with his sound, but also with what made him great in the first place. I’m pleased to report that neither has occurred: Renaissance Masters Series vol. 10 is majorly kickin’, although some may be surprised at the depth and subtlety of the journey.

Seaman kicks off the tenth instalment of the best-selling series with a window rattling bass monster Apparat Not A Number, with the track’s keyboards reminiscent of The Doors and lending heavily to the atmosphere of anticipation. From here, he rolls into a catchy little keyboard synth from Fairmont & Dusty Kid’s Cowboys, and although it may not exactly cover any new ground, it provides a pleasant ride through electroville. Next up is Patric La Funk’s take on Wally Lopez, a real standout with hazy tech edges beefing up a solid crunching beat. From here Seaman shifts down a gear into more heady tech, with the likes of Gui Boratto, Stel and Christian Fischer.

I can’t say that any of this is my cup of tea, nor was it what I was expecting from the man. This sound undoubtedly has its fans, but I must say I found the whole middle of CD1 fairly wearying, and was pleased to break clear of the audio ketamine by the time Mark Knight’s dub mix of Harlem kicked in. Skylark’s Elevator is another standout, somehow combining elements of prog, disco, tech and tribal into one explosive little number, and summing up Seaman’s expansive approach to the mixing and matching of genres. From here he moves into more familiar territory, Eelke Kleijn’s superbly beautiful Coutour, the driving emotion from Sennh & Sasha’s desolate robot symphony Who Killed Sparky?. CD1 wraps up with the best track of the compilation, Mark Knight’s phenomenal remix of Underworld’s Beautiful Burnout. Knight has crafted a deeply satisfying modern-day anthem while still retaining the fragile beauty of Karl Hyde’s abstract meanderings.

The second CD begins a little more predictably: smooth beats interlaced with funked-up vocals by way of Tim Deluxe and Martin Buttrich. The delightfully-named Mugwump live up to their moniker with a masterful, tripped out gem of a tune, sliding effortlessly through a tech-funk paradise. Weightier beats ensue, taking in Solumun’s moody Deadman, Sol & Grimm’s gorgeous, searching Exuma and Josh Gabriel’s divinely bittersweet Azora. As with Mark Knight on CD1, Seaman figures while he’s on a good thing, stick with it; offering no less than three Popof tunes, all of which left me fairly cold. However, they’re sure to appeal to those desiring a more minimal flavour.

Edging out of this space, our own Jamie Stevens pushes up and up with the classic tech-prog chug of Keep Her Space before Seaman’s mashup of Oliver Huntemann’s Bakery with Meat Katie & D. Rameriz’s Stop The Revolution (Dubfire Mix) gets underway. This is a truly epic sci-fi growler, in a similar vein to the classic Space Manoeuvres – deep, dark driving prog guaranteed to warm the heart of anyone who still treasures their copy of Nubreed: 001.

Rounding out the release is more window rattling weirdness from Rekorder and Popof, before Seaman signs off with DJ Umek’s Faithful Nights, a bizarrely apt combination of Casio melodies and Amiga-64 soundtrack chords. The proof is in the pudding, and this old faithful has delivered: Renaissance Masters Series vol. 10 is a thought-provoking, albeit darker than expected, ride through the sound of today.