Nick Warren - Turbulence (2LP) [The Soundgarden]

Format: 2x12" in gatefold sleeve.

Focus, integrity, and substance, all allied to an unflagging work ethic and that essential (yet indefinable) touch of magic dust, have kept Nick Warren at the forefront of electronic music for almost forty years.

In that time, Nick has been Massive Attack’s touring DJ, a resident at Cream, a regular at Glastonbury, and the UK’s most successful exporter to Argentina (largely thanks to his The Soundgarden touring brand). As one half of Way Out West, he has helped write (and rewrite) the rulebook for club-oriented electronic acts, achieving true longevity without compromise. He has curated over a dozen essential compilations – a pillar of the Global Underground series, whose influence remains decisive to this day, a sought-after DJ for key labels like Renaissance and Balance, and the first DJ to be entrusted with creating a blueprint for the now-iconic Back to Mine series.

It is, without a doubt, an enviable resume, a career many can only dream of. But Nick had long harbored a pending unrest. Inspired from a young age by his father's Jean-Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream records, maturing with experimental labels like 4AD and Factory, with deep roots in the dub scene of his native Bristol, a collector of exotica and rare film soundtracks… all that knowledge and passion cried out to be channeled into a solo album by Warren.

All of this leads us to Turbulence, his career-defining album. The world, no doubt, is going through turbulent times as Nick prepares to present his masterpiece, but the musical turbulence unleashed here seems to take its inspiration from other interpretations of the word: turbulence as a feeling of heightened intensity, turbulence marked by an air of unpredictability.

Turbulence is a window into Nick's musical soul and the myriad styles and influences that reside within it, dosed into a melodic crucible that results in a unique sonic broth. Tempos and styles alternate and intertwine naturally, the mood rises and falls as in the best DJ sets, and the journey, from the ethereal opening with Loveland to the beautiful closing with Sadly (alongside Tripswitch, one of several notable collaborations), exhibits an artist at the peak of his talent, with a deep understanding of the album concept.

We all need a little turbulence.