Fabric 40

Mark Farina can always be counted on for some juicy, trend-transcending, boompty house music. His timeless style seems like an odd choice for a club like Fabric who are generally very cutting-edge – but when you think about the fact that he’s been playing regularly at the club for many years, and that Fabric continues to support traditional techno, breaks and other less of-the-minute sounds, it’s not so surprising.

Things start off pretty laidback with the sunny, rolling Together by Giom warming us up, and slowly but surely a cheekier, more dancefloor vibe effortlessly segues its way in. Ricardo Rae’s Lead The Way is West Coast all the way – short blasts of acoustic guitar strumming giving the aural equivalent of rays of sunshine, while the cool bassline bumps saucily underneath. It makes you envy and almost despise the guy for being immersed in a climate that engenders such feel-good, sexy, fun, unpretentious music. Lashings of funk, jazz, soul influence runs throughout this CD. It’s American house – as American as apple pie, as American as the blues...

Inland Knights know that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, so Where Ya At? is a cool, breezy slice of funked-up house without the excess of funky house (natch), and thereafter the mix reaches a deeper section, epitomised by the warm pads and soft bass of Tommy Largo’s remix of Frank Solano’s The Blues Line, with more jazzy influences creeping in via the keys on Johnny Fiasco’s hazy Last Word (?) before we get fully back to the sexy summer bump on Oliver Desmet & Fred Everything’s joyous funk-ride on Mood II Swing’s Closer.  

Things get a little more quirksome towards the end – with dashes of warped wonkiness permeating the swinging grooves – and although it completes a well structured mix, it’s not an entirely satisfactory conclusion. Then again, with this distinct brand of house music – it’s not really about crescendos, peaks and zeniths. It’s more about consistent grooving, head-nodding and funk – which this mix most certainly delivers.

It won’t set your world on fire, but it will certainly put some junk in your trunk.

Tracklist

01 Giom – Together
02 Chuck Love – Yellow Truth (Atnarko Mix)
03 JT Donaldson & Uneaq – Why Not Rock?
04 Ricardo Rae – Lead The Way
05 John Larner & Slater Hogan – Gettin’ Ready
06 Inland Knights – Where Ya At ?
07 Homero Espinosa - Got This Feeling (LNS Disco Dub)
08 Alexander East – Believe En Me
09 Frank Solano – The Blues Line [Tommy Largo Remix]
10 Kris G – Feel My Love [Bobby Valentine Remix]
11 Non Believers – Stasera
12 Johnny Fiasco – Last Word
13 Mood II Swing – Closer [Oliver Desmet & Fred Everything Mix]
14 James Curd – Pick Up What I’m Putting Down
15 Rylan White Ft. Olly Brunton– There Goes The Neighbourhood
16 Lawnchair Generals – Broke Acid
17 Jeremy Joshua – Make Dat Shit [Derrick Carter Mix]
18 DJ Sneak – Mumbler
19 Prztz – Brutality
20 Mark Farina – Das Shibuya [Cheeba Mix]
21 King Kooba – Hoose Musik