Paul Woolford uses his Special Request moniker to pay tribute to U.K. pirate radio, with tracks recalling the darker edges of jungle and rave music. His contribution to the Fabriclive mix CD series plays more like a creative free-form radio set than a night out at a club, weaving tense ambient interludes in between left-field electro and jungle tracks. The mix's first half includes tracks by two early Aphex Twin aliases (Caustic Window and Polygon Window), as well as electro producers such as Detroit's DJ Stingray and the ...
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Paul Woolford uses his Special Request moniker to pay tribute to U.K. pirate radio, with tracks recalling the darker edges of jungle and rave music. His contribution to the Fabriclive mix CD series plays more like a creative free-form radio set than a night out at a club, weaving tense ambient interludes in between left-field electro and jungle tracks. The mix's first half includes tracks by two early Aphex Twin aliases (Caustic Window and Polygon Window), as well as electro producers such as Detroit's DJ Stingray and the Netherlands' Dexter, with a seamless foray into U.K. garage courtesy of Plastician's "The Lift." After the bright, breezy electro cut "The True Knot" (one of several Woolford originals included), the mix swiftly takes a turn for the dark side. Following a scientific interlude by Cristian Vogel, Shapednoise and Justin Broadrick signal oncoming doom with the corroded bass and swarming synths of "Enlightenment." The fury is unleashed with several head-spinning jungle tracks, including Dillinja's "Deadly Deep Subs [Remix]" and two more excellent Special Request originals (both of which were also released in unmixed form on the Stairfoot Lane Bunker EP). Woolford seems to prefer the type of jungle that includes complex, heavily edited breaks and shocking bass rumblings, but he finds room for Rood Project's lush, slow-building intelligent drum'n'bass classic "Thunder." Other than a few older tracks such as that, Woolford places more emphasis on tracks by newer artists taking tear-out jungle in explosive new directions. The storm clears out by the end of the mix, concluding with a majestic ambient composition by Abul Mogard. Fabriclive 91 is a breathtaking mix that drifts between conflicting moods, yet still holds together as a cohesive journey. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi
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