 [Larger view] | John Digweed - Global Underground: Los Angeles
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 THIS IS DEEP HOUSE... | |
| Global Underground #19 is a razor sharp consumate mix of contemporary progressive house delivered with exacting prowess by the master himself: John Digweed. Digweed's dark, dubby, tripped out mix from LA's Mayan Theatre is deep space symphony light years ahead of it's time. Disc 1 is a subterranean staging area. From the cosmic strains of Pole Folder & CP's "Apollo Vibes", Rui Da Silva's simmering tech-house "Riding" and the Hydrogen Rocker's nuclear meltdown of "Musica", Digweed is merely priming the main gun which follows on Disc 2. Lexicon Avenue's tribal rework of Medway's "My Release" is a definite turning point of production for the boys from New Castle, followed closely by the dark, dubbed out deep trance of Quivver's interstellar masterpiece "One Last time." Breeder's final release, "Carnival XIII" jack hammers its way throug minimal, acid-etched effects and the mix culminates in DJ Remy's heady interpretation of Salt Tank's "The Energy." This is without a doubt the best "Progressive House" mix in my entire collection. Although nearly dated by 3 years, Digweed's best work thus far sounds as if it could have been delivered from the decks of the "Delta Heavy" boat party at the WMC just days ago... | |
| This guy just gets better and better! | |
| First, let me say I attended both the recording and release parties thrown at the Mayan. All I can say is if you haven't caught John Digweed live yet, do it! He's the best DJ I've witnessed to date! I really got into Digweed when I heard the "Bedrock" CD's and have been hooked ever since. I think "Los Angeles" is an evolution, and improvement, over his "Hong Kong" release. H.K. was simply awesome on the first CD but got way too boring and repetitive on the second. This isn't so with his L.A. release. The first CD kicks off great with "Apollo Vibes" but then falls into its only real lull with the next two tracks. After that it picks up into a smooth, dark frenzy, climaxing at "Groove is in the Air" and "Musica." The second CD picks up the tempo and keeps the groove all the way through, leading up to my favorite track, "Inner Laugh." I've always loved it when dance music fuses with a darker, deeper sound and this track does so beautifully. There are a lot of change-ups to keep you interested and Digweed's technique is impeccable. Nothing sounds out of place despite some difficult contrasts in the music. This release may not be for everyone. I would sum up it by saying this is a more mature and cutting edge sound for progressive house. It's smoother, more refined and more subtle. You sometimes have to listen to it a while before it catches you. Don't think that Digweed has lost his strong, hard-edged beat with this release though. He's the best mixer of percussion I've ever heard and "Los Angeles" is no exception. I've been raving for over 10 years now and the Oakenfold/Van Dyke/etc. style just sounds old to me. Those guys were on the fringe in their days but the likes of Digweed and Sasha now take that title. They're exactly what dance music needs to progress and stay interesting. | |
 Hooked to the 1st CD, didn't quite feel it with the 2nd | |
| After mesmerizing listeners with his dark rendition of house in GU14:Hong Kong, John Digweed takes another go, using the same dark progressive beats he is known for. The mixing on GU19 is A-1 Digweed style, as one would expect from the master himself. Unfortunately, a rather mediocre tracklist with some disappointing tunes detracts from the second cd, preventing me from giving the overall package a 5. The first cd starts off at a rather pedestrian pace with the first two tracks, slowly building up in tempo and rhythm as Digweed takes you deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole... As the jazzy vocals from Satoshi Tomiie's "Love in Traffic" give way to the more heavier beats of Madam's Penetration, you can immediately sense the oncoming vibrations that only increase as Digweed spins one progressive track after another. This is where he shines. Each transition is masterfully mixed, with each track flowing into the next with little indication as to where one ends and the next begins. Listen to the transition between tracks 10-11 to get an idea of what I'm talking about. The two tracks from Electric Tease and Teimoso have a very good groove, while those from Photek and Tijuana are downright dark and dirty. The second cd starts off at roughly the same pace where the first one left off. The first four tracks have good momentum. From that point forward, however, the tracks begin to lose their appeal and just seem to drag on, painfully. The melody to Ronald Klinkenberg's "Inner Laugh" just seems too off-base while Nick Warren's Way Out West production "The Fall" is just plain dull (not what I expected from Way Out West). Max Graham's track doesn't seem to fare well either, failing to pick up the beat until Aria "One" starts to take off. With the first cd, Digweed easily lives up to the standards expected of a top 5 dj. The 2nd cd however, just doesn't seem to sit well in my mind. Others may disagree; maybe they feel something I don't. I would still recommend this album simply for the first disc alone. |
