It’s difficult to decipher any direction in Damian Lazarus’ track choice for his turn at the renowned Fabric mix series. The Crosstown Rebels boss has pasted together so many mixed elements it makes it challenging for the listener to ever truly get into Fabric 54 as a whole.

Rather than a smooth mix that melds from one track to the next (think Omar S taking the opportunity to showcase his own productions) or evolves into a story of one dirty night out (think Claude VonStroke ), Fabric 54 presents a staccato formula that jerks the listener from one sound or mood to the next. It’s almost like running from one room in the London club to another on any given night.

The opening tracks don’t necessarily make for a spectacular beginning. The rushed footsteps and atmospheric pulses of Ryan Crosson’s Metro Bunker quickly open out into Four Tet’s Love Cry, emulating the kick/snare sounds of NERD’s She Wants to Move. All this bizarre noise is here to pull you into the mix; and it’s all rather abrupt and short-lived. It doesn’t so much create atmosphere as leave you thinking, Where is this thing going?

Before you realise it, you’re unmistakably in VonStroke territory; the San Fran-based producer’s mix of Kenny Larkin’s Glob pushing forth some of his signature sounds (haunting fog horn moans of Monster Island and warped male vocals included). Indeed, VonStroke’s watermark seems to be one of the only things that binds a handful of the tracks on Lazarus’s mix and, considering VonStroke had his turn at producing his own compilation for Fabric little more than a year ago, it seems an odd way for Mr Crosstown Rebels to take this.

Canson’s Sleeping is the first track worthy of note. It’s a slow-mover and something you’d expect in the early stages of a backroom set; an atmospheric teaser that could easily weave its way around an anticipating room. This leads seamlessly into the slightly faster-paced The Martinez Brothers’ Broke in the BX and through to the beauty of tech-house track The Sheppard by Roska. At this point, you feel there’s a beginning to the journey, somewhere you can actually start making sense of what Lazarus is up to. It’s easy on the ears and farking enjoyable, too. Things travel nicely along in house territory, building and building and leaving you with a (unfortunately false) sense of security.

There are some gems among the confusion of Fabric 54 – The Art Department’s Vampire Nightclub and Deetron’s Sing (both tracks featuring the current Midas Touch of Seth Troxler ) to name two. Whether two or three standouts are enough to determine a compilation of 21 tracks a success, though, is questionable. With such a highly esteemed compilation series as Fabric, it’s inevitable not every release is going to be as wondrous as the series highlights that have come before it.

Fabric 54 is an interesting mix, but not mind-blowing; sometimes impressive, but never boundary-breaking. Lazarus has recently admitted his efforts of late have been rather directionless and strange, and he believes he’s achieved a more solid club-sounding mix in Fabric 54. However, this reviewer for one isn’t totally convinced that mission of formulating a balanced compilation was truly accomplished this time around.

Fabric 54: Damian Lazarus is out 15 October on Fabric/Balance Music through EMI.

1. Ryan Crosson – Metro Bunker
2. Four Tet – Love Cry
3. Appleblim & Ramadanman – Void 23
4. Kenny Larkin – Glob (Claude VonStroke Mix)
5. Swayzak – Ping Pong
6. Canson – Sleeping (Demo Version)
7. The Martinez Brothers – Broke In The BX
8. Roska – The Sheppard
9. Soul Clap – Break 4 Life
10. The Mole – Nervous Disid
11. Cajmere – Freaks And Stars
12. Art Department feat. Seth Troxler – Vampire Nightclub
13. Deetron – Sing
14. Guti & Dubshape – Every Cow Has A Bird
15. Soul Keita & Nicolas Jaar – Para(sol)
16. Damian Lazarus – Diamond In The Dark (dOP Remix)
17. Lee Jones – Yoyo
18. Agaric – Run (Ostern Jam)
19. Su Kramer – Magic Dance
20. Bill Holt – Program Ten (Part Five)
21. Bill Holt – Program Ten (Part Six)