Black Rock Desert (Digi)

Keith Jarrett once said of Miles Davis that he moved on to different styles not because he got tired of what he was playing. It was the opposite: he loved it so much that he wanted to force himself to evolve. I am always hard pressed to rate any work of art because my criteria may not be the same as yours. There seems to be three Coxy's we know of. There's the bangin' Carl Cox that we all know and love (witness the brilliant trks 1-6 on Mixed Live 2), then there's Carl Cox live, which is always entertaining and will fill a dance floor faster than any DJ I know, and then there's the diverse Carl Cox in exploration mode. GU38 is Coxy in exploration mode.

I'm not sure whether it's the hit parade of current dance music that's become more chill lounge than trance, the heat of Black Rock, or whether GU's branding suggests their guest DJs lean towards a certain type (more restrained) of selection that emphasizes a sense of the well-heeled, worldly traveler. (Track 6 on CD1 sounds like a theme song for GU series, if I ever heard one.) It is a taste of atmospheric (with reverb and echos), smooth and a relaxed techno. Let me describe the "feel" of CD1. It hovers at 120 bpm, but the pulse feel (which in technical jargon, is the hi hat on the upbeat) is half of 120. So the pulse feel of most of the tracks of CD1 is around 60-62bpm. The bass and synths are filtered, and the drums is definitely modulated and not bangin' in the traditional sense. It is creative though, and the stereo separation is to be heard sitting in between two speakers to be fully appreciated. The mixes are masterful, creative and takes you on an unhurried groove. I have always greatly appreciated Cox's firm root in African folk music (La Concina trk 5)and Arabic rhythms as the true birthplace of trance. The final 3 tracks on CD1 is the moment when the music at the club begins to get "good" where everyone is just standing around nervously eyeing each other, trying to figure out who will be the first one to go out on the dancefloor and risk making a fool of him or herself.

What happens next? CD2 brings even less bangin' Carl, less heavy drums, and deeper into exploratory Carl. The tempo is still hovering at 120, but there's so much going on in the mixes, that you forget you're even suppose to be dancing. I get lost with all the subcategories of house, but CD2 is definitely in the upper strata of the small roster of DJ's DJ (you know, poo poo'ed by guys who think Crystal Method is awesome but complain that we all make such a fuss over Danny Tenaglia and Jeff Mills). I can almost imagine watching the sun come up in the Nevada desert and the tracks of CD2 blasting from the loudspeakers. You have to take the context into consideration. Judging by the beautiful booklet chock full of color pictures of the very creative gatherers at Black Rock, I can imagine the environment putting our DJ in a similar exploratory mood.

Don't fear change people. Our Coxy (even the Bangin' one) is alive and well. I saw him at Philly a few years ago and there was not one occupied chair in the house. Even the broom guy was doing the butt grind. I'm sure he will wow us with Mixed Live 3 someday. His Radio 1 broadcasts at the turn of the millenium had some parts that I consider THE BEST sets in dance music ever.

I have never been a big Carl Cox fan, until now. This is one of the best GU's of all time imo (top 10 for me). I've seen him live a few times back in the day when he played bangin techno with not a lot of melody but oh how things have changed.

Disc 1 starts things of right with a mix of minimal techno and tech house that just sets the mood perfect. There are some played out tracks like Christian Smith - Flyertalk but the cd still sounds so fresh.

Disc 2 is just flat out great and I found my self getting up a dancin in my room which I never do. From Robbie Rivera - The Main Room (a track that sounds like nothing I've heard from he) to my 2 fav. tracks on the album Noir - The Off World (Oliver Dahl Remix), and Abi Bah - It's A Hybrid (Cari Lekebusch Remix) tell the end the cd just rocks.

What really makes this album stand out is that its mixed on cdjs, theres no abelton here folks. It gives the cd a live feel to it which I love. If you haven't heard him for a while then your in for a real treat. Anyone thats fans of Digweed, Dubfire, Richie, or liked James Levelle's last GU then you will love this cd.

Ok its three in the morning and I need to go bed but I can't because I am on disc one of this amazing cd..I am completely blown away. Not that anyone asked me but this is hands down the best thing I heard all year

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