After a seven year wait, Global Underground Nubreed fans now have two new releases to enjoy within a single calendar year. Earlier in 2009, the Nubreed series reemerged with a solid compilation from UK’s rising tech-house wunderkid Jim Rivers, clearly showing that it’s still an excellent platform to showcase serious emerging talent. This time we get globe-trotting, Canadian-based DJ/producer Sultan, who has been a surprising inclusion for some as he’s certainly not the freshest face in electronic music (unless of course they wanted to rename the comp “OldBreed”). Yet despite his prolific status as producer that spans more than a decade, there’s been very little on the compilation front from this relatively old-hand of the dance scene. So peeps, lay off and let’s see if Sultan’s got the goods.

Quite simply, this is masterful mix of proper progressive house. Anyone who doubted Sultan’s abilities as a DJ surely deserve a proper facepalm as this Nubreed release stands up as one of the highlights of this stellar series. We have two discs that follow a predictable format, one deep, one a little more upfront; and both deliver. Sultan starts things out deeeeep with a delicious opening pairing from Lulu Rouge and Soulfiction that is like dipping your brain and ear canals in a honey bath. For the next few tracks, words like gorgeous, lush, deep and delicious all nicely do the job of capturing the mood. Six tracks in and we hit a delectably deep cut from Sascha Funke that resonates with it’s warm pads and lilting percussion. This measured beginning builds to a subtle climax – Tone Depth’s reworking of his own classic Rumblefish, ten years on; an instant classic that is allowed to run for a glorious 8 minutes and 46 seconds before melting away into the slightly discordant and utterly haunting female vocals of Coming Home from Behrouz. Sultan then weaves in stilted middle-eastern influences through his own production work with Ned Shepard and Tone Depth along with tribal drums and freaky synths courtesy of Norman Zube’s Swing. A collaboration with Dirty Vegas and then his own Verona conlude things where they began – aural heaven.

This disc is a study in progression, slowly building a groove with subtlety and grace; a DJ mix that makes you forget it’s a DJ mix. It is a mix that justifies the use of cliches – a journey of sound ideas that sweep you up and take you for a ride, greater than the sum of its parts, I could go on. It is that good.

Disc 2 effortlessly picks up where the first left off, laying down a deep groove through a stirring opening combo of majestic orchestral percussion from Pascal Vert over the widely-played Mic Newman remix of Bertie Blackman’s Town of Sorrow. There is a little more funk thrown in early on and the groove is a more infectious as a result. By the second half of this disc, some of those trademark clickity clackity noises that feature so heavily in Sultan’s own productions start to appear, first from his own remix with Ned Shepard of DBN’s track Asteroidz and then from the likes of Stephen Luke and Joe T Vanelli. There is great use of acapellas throughout this disc and again, the progression and programming is irresistible.

So Nubreed delivers again and Global Underground show that the revitalisation of this classic series is no flash in the pan. For fans of deeper sounds filled with warmth, colour, a touch of melancholy and a classic progressive aesthetic, this is one of the mast-have compilations of 2009. Perhaps most exciting of all for fans of progressive house is that Sultan demonstrates that a prog comp can still be delivered without delving too deeply into tech house, minimal, techno and all other shades of the deep. Progressive house still exists, and damn if it doesn’t sound good. This also amounts to some well-deserved exposure for Mr Sultan who delivers the Nubreed pedigree in spades. Australian tour anyone?

OK, gushing over, now go and buy it.

Tracklisting for Sultan’s Nubreed:

Disc 1:
1. Lulu Rouge – Ninna Nanna
2. Soulphiction – Changes (Ike Remix)
3. Luis Junior – Colache
4. Toby Tobias – Schoon (Dave Ellesmere Remix)
5. Pascal Vert – Bios (Markus Wesen Remix)
6. Sascha Funke – Mango
7. Behrouz – Where Are You Now
8. Tone Depth – Rumblefish (Tone Depth 10th Anniversary Mix)
9. Behrouz – Coming Home
10. Luciano Esse & Toni D – Los Penal
11. Sultan & Ned Shepard – Roads Under Ramallah
12. Norman Zube – Swing
13. Dominik Eulberg – Sansula (Jonas Koop’s Dubfreak Mix). Tone Depth & Sultan – Moments (Guitarapella)
14. Namito – Train To Tehran
15. Sultan & Ned Shepard Feat. Dirty Vegas – Crimson Sun
16. Sultan & Ned Shepard – Verona

Disc 2:
1. Pascal Vert – When Time Stands Still
2. Bertie Blackman – Town of Sorrow (Mic Newman Remix)
3. Florian Meindel – La Nuit
4. Jean Claude Ades – Harlem (Gorge Remix)
Luomo – Tessio (Acappella)
5. Maher Daniel – Buzzin?
6. Florian Meindl – Here Today Gone Tomorrow
7. Joris Voorn – Empty Trash
8. DBN Feat. Madita – Asteroidz (Sultan & Ned Shepard Remix)
9. Stephan Luke – Invisible Man (Ned Shepard Instrumental Mix)
10. Joe T Vannelli – Private House (Siwell Dub Remix)
11. Chordian – Closed Eyes (Paul Kalkbrenner Remix – Ned Shepard Nubreed Edit)
12. Matan Caspi & Eddy Good – Neverland
13. Ned Shepard – Chromatic
BM Linx – 123 CAT (Acappella)
14. Dark Globe – Break My World (Sultan Nubreed Edit)