BnB Review: fabric 58 – Craig Richards Presents The Nothing Special

Written by Manu Ekanayake

We’ve kind of slept on this, but that doesn’t mean you should. Craig Richards illustrates the (almost) lost art of the resident DJ here on fabric 58, with a low-slung mix of deep house, techno and disco – just like he plays at the club, in fact.

 

 

Craig Richards is someone you can always depend on, which is why he’s in the exalted position of being Saturday resident (and Musical Director) of the best club in London, fabric. And he’s held that title since the club’s birth 11 years ago, being instrumental in it's love affair with the minimal sound and also seeing it embrace the fact that house & techno are now closer than ever before. But this mix also contains some disco sounds, as anyone who’s heard Mr Richards in the mix more recently would expect. It’s also got that vital ingredient: it flows seamlessly between genres, just like any good mix should.

fabric 58 reverberates with late-night / early morning sounds. Named for Craig’s own ‘Nothing Special’ parties at the club, that see him, ‘Playing a gentle deep warm up for Moritz Von Oswald, or a twitchy electro set before Dopplereffekt, or a disco set before Emperor Machine,’ it showcases the variety of his musical knowledge – a key component for any good resident DJ.

So it’s fitting that this compilation starts out with the intricate-yet-lush Rico’s Helly by electro dons the Two Lone Swordsmen (BnB fervently hopes Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood will record together again one day) and goes on to span the cosmic disco of Space by Maurice Fulton and the reverberating tech house of Vamos A Otro by Marcel Janovsky. Plus there’s serious deep house from Flying Saucers by Housey Doingz (a treat from the infamous Wiggle house imprint, courtesy of Craig’s fellow fabric DJ, Terry Francis). And the trainspotters will go crazy for unknown Gemini track At The Party, which is another deep little number for you to enjoy. But don’t anybody sleep on El Jem By G-Man, it’s a slice of melodic techno gold.

Our verdict:
This is why Craig runs the show at fabric. A solid collection of timeless late-night sounds.

Tracklisting:

1. Two Lone Swordsmen - Rico's Helly - Cacophony
2. Carl Finlow - Reprise - Seventh Sign
3. Melchior Productions - Come Closer (Dub) - Playhouse
4. Gemini - At The Party - Spencer Kincy
5. Housey Doingz - Flying Saucers - Wiggle
6. San Proper & Awanto 3 - Black Burger - Rush Hour
7. Arne Weinberg - My Testimony - Technoir Audio
8. G-Man - El Jem - Swim
9. Conscious Minds - Expressions - Tryant
10. Eco Tourist - Magelonic - Ifach
11. L.I.E.S. - Comeback Dust - Echovolt
12. Joel Mull - Leaving Ground - Läsk
13. Marcel Janovsky - Vamos A Otro Piso - Regular
14. Loop Hotel - Room 202 - Loop Hotel
15. Conforce - Intimidation - Meanwhile
16. Johnny Fiasco - Kalimba - Klassik Fiasco
17. Convextion - Premiata - Down Low
18. Maurice Fulton - Space - Transfusion
19. Semtek - Lotos Eaters (Neville Watson Remix) - Don't Be Afraid
20. $tinkworx - Los Gatos Lloros - Delsin

← BnB Review: The Whip – Wired Together		BnB Review: Fabian - Say Goodbye →

Tweet