Good for a house party, but don't concentrate too much on it
Globalaza | Washington, DC | 09/17/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Admittedly, I heard this cd while buying other music at a New York City music store, which may have had an impact on why I bought this cd -- it sounded great...in the store. I enjoyed the danceable hard loungey sound that was a bit different with fun and interestingly unexpected moments (sounds and rhythms) thrown in.
This cd would be good for a roofdeck party where the music was not the main attraction but adds to the vibe -- not quite ready for the clubs, but definately music to share with friends. Best compared with Lee Burridge in his mixture of house-infused sounds, with a splattering of tribal beats.
There is good mixing here, with a few experimental elements that keep you interested and wondering where he is going to take you.
Unfortunately, there are portions of the cd that are a bit weak and detract from the overall experience. Tracks #11 and #12 seem annoyingly misplaced and don't reflect the otherwise deep energetic portions that make the majority of the cd enjoyable. The effort is off balanced, without a clear direction, or concept of beginning and end. Many of the vocals don't seem to fit, are out of place, and could/should be removed. It seemed like he just gave up in the last few tracks.
Bottom Line: the cd is good if you don't pay too much attention to it, or make it your main event. It's hard to fall in love with the music, but you won't utterly dislike it either. It's in the middle of great and dull, hence the 3 stars."
An intricate, season-muggy mix CD from one of dance music's
B. GILLING | GERMANY | 10/05/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"When news went out that Luciano--who, preferring the momentous live-crowd approach to track length and selection, is famously averse to the mix CD format--was signed on for the next Fabric installment, people began to wonder whether he'd take the Villalobos route and issue another landmark album stitched together with new productions of his own. Though there are indeed whispers of a full-length due out soon enough on his own label, Cadenza, Fabric 41 is a more traditional mix of Cadenza's own roster, Luciano's remix efforts, and the balmy, Latin-flavored house music with which the Chilean producer's so long been associated--joined by some of the more vocal and a cappella-laced material he's been playing of late.
Opening with "Slagare" from Romanian producer Rhadoo's excellent Dor Mit Oru EP, Fabric 41 limbers up early, with Brothers' Vibe's "El Baile (Acapella)"--a track Luciano's been using in his sets for almost a year now--sifted into Rhadoo's echoing, almost dubby rhythms. The set quickly begins to bounce, passing through D'Julz's "Yo Momo" and Luciano's own remix of Los Updates' oddball anthem "Getting Late," with Jorge González's closed jaw voice bumping up against its clattering beat and squeaky textures. Highlighted here as well are two recent Cadenza releases, the simple jingling warmth of Reboot's "Be Tougher" and Alex Piccone's upcoming "Floppy," which with its elastic sense of melody and muscular bass is one of the disc's early highlights.
But after what almost seems like too fast a start for all its sparse, spacious texturing, Luciano takes a little moisture out of the air with Johnny D's much-discussed hit "Orbitalife," lending a lush expanse to the set's vibrant middle-stretch. On one of the more compelling moments of tonal juxtaposition and counter-texturing, he layers M83's transportive, chilly shoegaze cut "In Church"--another track he's been going back to in his sets lately--over Julien Jabre's steamy "Jungle Beatz." Though it threatens to dry things out a bit on the back of "Orbitalife"'s length, it's a tranquil spell before Tiefschwarz's ominous remix of Phuture's 1992 Strictly Rhythm jam "Rise From Your Grave" shifts the album from its amorous, organic side to its feverish peak stretch--ostensibly the "crescendo" Luciano's spoken of trying to create with this mix. The ghosty, empty-beach tones of Schneider, Galluzzi's new-classic "Albertino" continue this heavy run, feeding into the stinging, rotted-bass of D'Julz's "Just So You Know" before Kenny Larkin's "You Are..." tempers its pace.
Chymera's "Arabesque" closes the set in gentle poise, a well-chosen cap that matches the set's sense of cushiony home-spaces with a hint at reenergizing for whatever comes next. Though much has been made by hardcore Luciano-fans and live set collectors that Luciano's unveiled a pretty stale assembly here--based on tracks played out from his sets or including 'old' standard-bearer Cadenza cuts like "Albertino"--Fabric 41 will sound to most home-listeners, or the many simply not lucky enough to catch Luciano live, as an intricate, season-muggy mix CD from one of dance music's most dependable producers, one which deftly balances its quirks with its more instantaneous appeals. RA"
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1