Spundae Presents: Interpretations II
Everyone knows marquee DJ names such asPaul OakenfoldandJohn Digweed, but Jerry Bonham's moniker remains one closest to the hearts of dance music's expansive underground. A resident at Spundae in San Francisco (one of North America's best clubs), Bonham has been spinning progressive trance sets since the late '80s. Which explains why this double-disc set (his third release overall) veers seamlessly from high energy to 3 a.m. chill-out without Bonham once having to throw down a dance-floor cliché to keep your interest. Edging for the deeper side in every aspect of the mix, Bonham happily pushes listeners into heady ground quickly, the ascendant ethereal spirit of cuts like Orbit 1.3's "Second Hand Satellites" going to the edge of ambient dance space before Chiller Twists' "Driverz of the Deep" thumps back to the dance floor without betraying the mood. Disc 2 is more of the same, Bonham airing the tribal "Thirteen" from Brian Stillwater and the smooth fast-lane trance of Mad Dogs' "Sudden Journey" before closing out with the meditative "Musifon" bySlacker.Interpretations 2is a mature, subtle, all-encompassing, and highly rewarding progressive trance set from a DJ whose name deserves greater recognition. In a field of cows, Jerry Bonham is the bull who strolls slowly down and gets close to them all.--Steffan Chirazi