Search - John Digweed :: Renaissance: Transitions, Vol. 4

Outstanding

Jason Winnell | Charleston, West Virginia | 09/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hypnotic and energetic. One of the best mixes you will hear anywhere. Truly off the chain. Numerous tracks laid over each other, not just a simple mix. Truly ingenious and unlike anything else out there. This is the future now.



Awesome job, Diggers.



-J"

A strong mix that rewards greatly if you approach it with au

Christopher Culver | 09/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While some long-time DJs are now releasing mix CDs years apart, John Digweed continues to fulfill his promise of a "Transitions" disc twice a year or so. With TRANSITIONS VOL. 3, however, he even gives us two CDs. The Transitions mix is still a single disc, but the bonus CD has a 25-minute extended remix of a Bedrock track. Those who follow Digweed's Kiss 100 radio programme will know generally what to expect here. While the first installment of the Transitions series disappointed me with banal track selection and little development, Digweed has clearly returned to form.



Much of the hype surrounding the release of the mix was due to its inclusion of Sasha's "Coma" as its opening track. While "Coma" is an okay tune, it's no "Xpander" or "Wavy Gravy". Instead of succeeding on the basis of anthems like many classic progressive mixes, the power of TRANSITIONS VOL. 3 comes from its succession of tracks very close in style, often indistinguishable, but continually raising the energy. The climax of the mix comes with a stunning return to turn of the millennium progressive, with tracks like Aldo Cadiz's "JS Cuba" and Ink & Needle's "Seven" strongly resembling Anthony Pappa's NUBREED release, and Someone Else's "Lowdown Brittle (Wink's Profound Sound Interpretation)" reminiscent of Digweed's own BEDROCK mix of 1999. A lot of fans of dance music listen on very basic equipment, and indeed few mixes require anything more. However, I strongly recommend listening to TRANSITION VOL. 3 on quality headphones or speakers. My impression of the album changed to the overwhelmingly positive only after I did so--at first I just didn't see what the fuss was about. Digweed isn't mixing minimal progressive house here as one might think. Rather, the detail in many tracks is in the low end and so should be heard on something with reliable bass reproduction.



While this is obviously computer-mixed, such possibilities are sparingly used and this is a pretty standard mix where one track follows another. I think Sasha's FUNDACION NYC mix CD of 2005, where the DJ had three or four tracks regularly going on at once and created a stunningly fresh multidimensional dance music, should have set a new standard for progressive house. For that reason, I subtract a star from my rating. Nonetheless, TRANSITION VOL. 3 is a worthy purchase, and stands as one of Digweed's best mixes of the last five years."