With Gui Boratto recently in the country performing a string of live shows, interest in his Renaissance: The Mix Collection effort is at a high. Has the Renaissance label hand-picked yet another quality artist, or had they perhaps let the team down? The question was a pertinent one, especially as the man picked for the job this time is more widely recognised as an avid producer; not so much a mixer. Only one way to find out.

Kicking things off with the John Tejada rework of his own Take My Breath Away, it is no surprise why the Brazilian is renowned for his production work. Uplifting, lush tones seemingly prepare us for – dare I say it – the ‘journey’ that is about to commence. Keeping us in check though, he makes us wait through the soft velvety machinations of Azure from Paul Kalkbrenner. It’s the calm before the inevitable storm, which arrives the form of The Infinites from Bomb the Bass. Bass is the operative word.

Nevertheless, calmness prevails, as Boratto eases from Gabriel Ananda’s techy Schnee into the melodic prog of Andre Sobota’s Forgotten. Boratto brings a series of his own productions to wrap up what is an overwhelmingly positive first disc; without doubt the highlight of the release. His truly beautiful and melody-laced Telecaster is drool-worthy, his remix of Robert Babicz’s Astor has a serious techno-infused edge to it, and as he finishes up with his own Azzurra, you walk from disc one pretty damn happy. As one should.

Then you hit disc two, and it all seems to go awry. From the heights of disc one, we come crashing back with a directionless thud. To borrow a line from the semi-cult film Go, this disc comes off more like a series of tunes mashed in a “half-assed, thrown together, boulliabaisse-y kind of way”. It is so disappointing, and certainly not what one would expect from a Renaissance mix.

Boratto’s opening Trills should have set off alarm bells, as the second set starts in a darker, harder fashion. Then the man takes it back completely with Christian Smith and Milky Way, before getting us all teched up with Immortal from Kiki. Progression: zip. Unfortunately, it gets no better, as Boratto throws in some tribal, a dash of house, minimal, and whatever else in between. By the time it all wraps up with Past Mistake from Tricky, I felt like an exhausted marathon runner praying the finishing line would just appear.

It has been a while since I have come across a release that has such contrasting sides. Boratto absolutely nails disc one, but I doubt even the chinstrokers could find some glee in the second.

Renaissance: The Mix Collection, Gui Boratto is out now on Renaissance through Stomp.