Chapter 55 of the incredible FabricLive series kicks off the year with a 24-track mix from drum & bass’s favourite Paulastino, Marc Antonia Silva, aka DJ Marky. On receiving the long-overdue invitation to lay down a mix for the series, DJ Marky recorded his offering live the next day – and boy is it a keeper.

The CD opens with the familiar sounds of By Your Side from S.P.Y., with its heroic film score racing into tripping percussion and soulful vocal before the screeching stabs and deep plucky double bass of Rolling Times from dRamatic and dbAudio give way to a delightfully pompous brass tattoo and lush piano which is tough to shake.

The big tunes keep on coming in the opening section, as another cut from Marky and S.P.Y. drops into the jazzy behemoth that is Bright Lights . It is abundantly clear at this point that this is a party set from the Brazilian – a no excuses inclusive mix showcasing the popular liquid funk shades of the genre that has welcomed new fans and regenerated tired bassheads under the propulsion of forward-thinking labels like Hospital, Innerground and Critical.

Fierce and Vicious Circle change the outlook with the deep, dark and heavy Section, nodding slowly at its mid-nineties influences for a brief moment before Klute delivers the beautifully warm melody and throbbing bassline of Will You Still Love Me? as Marky gets back on message with a funky liquid groove. The irrepresible Calibre and Makoto keep the beats organic and the bass strings prominent before Logistics and Illskillz showcase some wobbly dub waves which vibrate into gorgeous tracks from Icicle and Skream complete with cheeky scratching. A knowing musical wink from Marky lets us know his finger is still well and truly on the pulse.

Emerging from the dubstep sounds, Marcus Intalex puts his hand up with Steady, which welcomes in a section which merges orchestral liquid funk with deep rasping beats and whoomping late-night basslines courtesy of Siren, Nymfo and the ever-present S.P.Y.

The disc heads to its close superbly, as the lovely arrangement of Break’s Time After Time offers a worthy platform for my favourite track of the disc, Brainstorm from Marky and S.P.Y. Natural rolling drums and intense bassline are complimented by an eerily off-key organ which flirts with a conversational screeched melody and creepy whisper.

Things remain heavy as the revered sounds of Culture Shock and Commix lead us to an apt end with two more S.P.Y. co-productions closing proceedings on a high. The last track Mystic Sunset encapsulates the entire feel of the disc in one track, cleverly combining all of the different shades showcased over the preceding hour.

FabricLive 55 is a must-have. It’s a slick snapshot of the last twelve months in liquid funk and progressive drum& bass rather than a showcase for new material, but herein lies its beauty. The disc is programmed and mixed expertly, and, well, he just bloody pulls it off, alright? One for the ages, Marky has no intention of this disc gathering dust on anyone’s shelf.

In the words of Marky himself: “What’s really important to me is the quality of the people at the party. I play for everybody and everybody’s welcome, but it’s nice to see older people in a club. And lots of ladies – if the girls are coming, then that’s good; that’s a party!”

FabricLive 55: DJ Marky is out now on Fabric/Balance Music; distributed through EMI.

Tracklist:

01. S.P.Y. – By Your Side
02. dRamatic & dbAudio – Rolling Times
03. DJ Marky & S.P.Y. – Yellow Shoes
04. Die & Interface feat. William Cartwright – Bright Lights (Rollers Mix)
05. Lynx – Chess Funk
06. Fierce & Vicious Circle – Section
07. Klute – Will You Still Love Me?
08. Makoto & Deeizm – Untold
09. Calibre – Even If
10. 8-Bits & Q-Project – T1
11. Logistics with IllSkillz – Notes From The Block
12. Heavy 1 – Millers
13. Icicle – Nowhere
14. Skream – Motorway
15. Marcus Intalex – Steady
16. Siren – Control
17. S.P.Y. – Hotspot
18. Nymfo – Matchstick V.I.P.
19. Break – Time After Time
20. DJ Marky & S.P.Y. – Brainstorm
21. Culture Shock – Cathedral
22. Commix – Double Double
23. Marcus Intalex & S.P.Y. – Paulista Dub
24. DJ Marky & S.P.Y. – Mystic Sunset