Since 2001, London’s essential nightclub Fabric has been putting out
monthly DJ set compilations, alternating the Fabric And FabricLive series. For FabricLive 62, Kasra Mowlavi got the tap
to put together a drum and bass mix to put his stamp on. If you look at the
lists of the DJ’s and artist who have put together prior compilations, you can
tell it’s an honor to be included in the company.
Mixing mostly tracks from his own label Critical, but giving nods to a
few other modern high-quality counterparts in the community, Kasra put together
a live set that balances maturity and intensity in a way that can be appreciate
by newschoolers and oldschoolers alike. As an interesting point, the set as a
whole might be appreciated a little more by listeners who haven’t already
decided what their favorite sub-genre of D&B is, as it makes the rounds
without committing to any particular one.
The whole mix clocks in at 70 minutes, and has a tracklist of 29 tunes,
so the pace is wicked, but the essence of each track is in there before it
moves along to the next. Since the mix was done live, there are a few small
technical errors that Kasra noted, but in interviews he said that he
appreciates mistakes because they give the mix a sense of character.
Some reviewers complained because they felt that there was too much
attention paid to the drum rhythms and bass, and not enough to melody line and
chordal progression, but others have noted that they appreciated the fact that
the mix wasn’t overdone by over-the-top melodic synth lines that tend to be
popular in the progressive and more popular music right now. You can’t ever
make everyone happy, and it seems that Kasra was aiming at the crowd that would
be more interested in going deeper into structure and depth than skimming the
surface for quick gratification.
This might be a particularly interesting mix for dubstep fans to listen
to as well. There is plenty of bass wobble, though its overtones are more
subtle, and some of the breaks, edits, and swings, especially during
transitions, will be familiar, if not a little tighter because of the speed of
the tracks. For the most part, the super intense tracks are kept short and
pointed, which gives the rest of the album some room to breath and let your
mind rest. You’d be hard pressed to call it dance music as such, but it’s easy
to get caught bobbing your head at a half-time rhythm.
Listen in particular to the tracks by Noise, Commix and Klute, and
you’ll hear some of the sounds that eventually influenced some of the whole
dubstep movement. The three of them are known for composing edits so that a
single stab or hit is the only thing happening in the track at that time, so it
can take up the whole volume spectrum and sound absolutely huge – and that’s
one of the tricks that Skrillex and crew have taken on.
