Glasgow-based
Jackmaster (
Jack Revill), co-founder of the well-regarded Numbers label and club night, followed up his 2011 FabricLive mix CD with an installment of !K7's lauded
DJ-Kicks series. The FabricLive mix seemed to reflect his all-encompassing eclecticism for the sake of a smoothly flowing mix; his
DJ-Kicks set is still eclectic, ranging from early-'90s Detroit techno obscurities to the types of U.K. bass bangers Numbers is known for releasing, but it has a much more seamless flow. It's not really about peaks and valleys; it maintains a similar energy level throughout most of the mix. That's not to say there aren't a few surprises, or that all the tracks sound similar. Far from it, actually. While there's generally a pleasant, euphoric vibe, especially during the more chilled-out opening tracks, there are moments of excited tension that crop up throughout the mix. He blends a Chicago acid house track by
Mike Dunn with a more spacy electro-leaning track by
Massimiliano Pagliara, and a few minutes later there's a more sinister EBM-flavored house track from
Eli Escobar. Later on in the mix, minimal techno from
Ricardo Villalobos and
Basic Channel mingles with breakbeat house tracks from
Tessela and Overmow. Denis Sulta's "Dubelle Oh XX (JVIP)" is the mix's centerpiece, and it mainly consists of a sentimental melody recalling
Kraftwerk's "Computer Love," but there's a very brief moment when it breaks for a few seconds of U.K. bass roughness before switching back to the sublime melody. This wonderfully demonstrates
Jackmaster's flair for surprising selections while keeping the mix focused on moving the crowd. ~ Paul Simpson