Global Underground 030: Paris
Who but Nick Warren could be tapped for Global Underground's landmark 30th release, a journey through downtempo trippiness, silky minimalism, and sparkly house, set against the backdrop of the City of Light? After all, the Bristol spinner had already been at the controls for no fewer than six GU releases, and his last outing (GU28: Shanghai) blew the doors off most everything else released in the genre that year. OnParis, he returns to the haunting, spaced-out soundscapes that made hisReykjavikmix (GU24) a series favorite. The first disc goes downtempo; the backward melodies and marching psychedelia of Tripswitch's "Strange Parallels" make the case that the album should come with a drug interaction warning, while Joey Fehrenbach's "Being Around You" hypnotizes with a synth line that tumbles through the stereo spectrum like a waterfall in slow motion. Disc 2 gallops from the gate to the glacial sighs of August's "I Miss" and the eerie vocals of Blue Fountain's "Sweep" that chant "I'm your sorrow...I'm your shadow." Later on, Oliver Moldan and Isma Ae's "Fivefivezero" pounces on the unsuspecting with a relentless, pulsating lead and Eelke Kleijn's "8 Bit Era Dub" swings harder than a prizefighter. On display through it all is Warren's affinity for pulling the truly innovative and strangely compelling tunes from the ocean of often derivative electronic dance music, leading one to believe that if there are vinyl shops in alternate dimensions, he has likely rooted through their crates. Like his other GU releases, Warren'sParisbegins to reveal its secrets only after a number of listens--but fans of this DJ's DJ would have it no other way.--Brent Kallmer