Renaissance Presents: Alive 2 - Utilities
This double disc from the much acclaimed James Zabiela displays his penchant for ideas as progressive as his sound. The first disc ("Computerized") is software mixed and the second ("Recorded") uses traditional techniques.  The opening half of "Computerized" contains a well sequenced and ethereal remix of Aphex Twin’s "Windowlicker" and Zabiela really starts to find a groove around tracks 9 and 10 when he drops back-to-back breaks/house remixes of "Outta My Mind."  "Recorded" has a much better sense of momentum, as James takes us from the deep haunting vocals of "Through You" to the driving distorted sounds of "At The Rave," finally bringing us back down to earth with the melodic broken-beat sounds of "Gyromancer." While these discs will certainly spark much debate and discussion, it is clear that James Zabiela is intent on both pushing the boundaries of electronic music and devastating the dance floor--a task that is certainly worthy of Sasha’s protégé.-- Anish Acharya