DJ-Kicks: Deetron (2LP) [!K7]

DJ-Kicks kicks off the year in style with another vital entry into their long-running series. The latest comes from Swiss DJ and producer Deetron.

As one of his native Switzerland’s most famous musical exports he has done pretty much everything from fabric and Balance mix CDs to running his own label, from essential albums like ‘Twisted’ and ‘Music Over Matter’ on Music Man Records to a broad collection of remixes as recently showcased on ‘Re-Creation – Remixes Compiled’. After 20 years in the business he remains in demand at key clubs around the world and is respected enough to be able to count on collaborators such as DJ Bone, Cooly G and Ben Westbeech.

This landmark mix showcases his timeless style and passion for nostalgic thrills associated with Chicago and the serene mechanical soul of Detroit. Curated from records that have resonated with him over the years and continue to evoke strong feelings, it also features various voice-overs from friends “in the style of a traditional mixtape,” the artist explains.

“Over the years I have worked on merging techno and soulful vocals and wanted to represent that in the mix. On the technical side, the mix represents my work as a producer and remixer, as well as my aim to recreate tracks using three decks when deejaying. A lot of the mix was recorded using three decks, but I also included a section which I approached more like a production or remix.”

The eighty-minute mix kicks off with the spine-tingling chills of Carl Craig’s “Goodbye World” and smoothly wends its way through the dreamscape house of form masters like Gifted & Blessed, Linkwood, Soulphiction and Mr Fingers. Often only playing a few minutes of each track with more than 35 employed in all, this is a dynamic and ever-evolving soundtrack with masterfully blurred transitions.

The early melodic beauty of the mix slowly gives way to more impelling drums from the likes of Morgan Geist, Aardvarck and DJ Koze while the mid-section goes psychedelic and disconnected with deep, elastic grooves. Carl Craig then reappears with his remix of Tony Allen’s “Kilode” to break up the rhythms and the colourful, supple keys of classic house then slowly lead towards a more techno slanted climax with Floorplan and Derrick May providing the blissful delights. To finish with the dissipating energies of Jessy Lanza’s “Strange Emotion” is a smart move that leaves you feeling cleansed and ready to start all over again.

This is an adventurous mix that covers a lot of ground without feeling rushed or harried. In short, it’s the sound of a technical master of the decks doing what he does best.