Fabric54 - Damian Lazarus

Written by Youri Jozee

Another month, another Fabric compilation. God knows we love ‘em. This time it’s Damian Lazarus serving up a spicy dish of his trademarked swamp-house, techno, minimal, deephouse and stuff we're not even gonna try to pigeonhole. But god damn it, it hits the spot...

Damian Lazarus never really lets down, and he’s not the kinda guy that puts the proverbial horseblinkers on when it comes to DJing. A load of EPs plus the excellent Smoke The Monster Out album (released last year)  already confirmed the man’s diverse taste and Fabric 54 is no different. It’s all about intense, deep, and sweaty grooves on this baby. Moodymann, Rick Wade and Ame were some of the names that came to mind upon first listening to the album, although Damian’s love for tracks with a lunatic twist is definitely present. On the overall, Fabric #54 is an intriguing trip through Detroit and Berlin house music (roughly speaking) across no less than 21 tracks from very diverse artists. The mix opens smoothly with the smooth and very hypnotizing Love Cry by Four Tet, then takes a more throbby direction with the dark Void 23 by Appleblim & Ramadanman, after which things get a bit housier with tracks such as the nasty jacking Broke In The BX by The Martinez Brothers and the very, very sexy Break 4 Life by the much sought after Soul Clap.

The highlight of the mix comes in the form of, and excuse me for getting real excited here, the ace ace ace ace ace Vampire Nightclub by Art Department feat. Seth Troxler. Those vocals! That sticky bassline, that motherfucking groove! Awesome cut, and the follow up track –Deetron’s Sting- continues the flow with a beautiful Detroit-ish tune floating on sampled vox. Damian keeps the pedal to the metal until the very end of the mix, be it in his very own way. Soul Keita & Nicolas Jaar’s Para(Sol)  is as weird (check out that horn) as it is rhythmic, after which Su Kramer’s Magic Dance and two tracks by Bill Holt close the mix with a slow jazzy tune and two very off electronica tunes respectively.

Fabric54 is a bit like that drunk uncle and his 70s roadie adventure stories: a bit strange but awesome! That’s pretty much how we’ve come to know Damian. The compilation itself bursts with quality cuts varying from deep house, minimal to very leftfield gems, all mixed in such a way that a luscious flow is always present. If you’re a fan of the Fabric series, then this one is for you. Let me rephrase that: Fabric 54 is recommended to any electronic music fanatic.

Rating: 7.9/10
Label: Fabric
Release date: October 11, 2010

Fabric54 Tracklist

01. Ryan Crosson - Metro Bunker
02. Four Tet - Love Cry
03. Appleblim & Ramadanman - Void 23
04. Kenny Larkin - Glob (Claude VonStroke Mix)
05. Swayzak - Ping Pong
06. Canson - Sleeping (Demo Version)
07. The Martinez Brothers - Broke In The BX
08. Roska - The Sheppard
09. Soul Clap - Break 4 Life
10. The Mole - Nervous Disid
11. Cajmere - Freaks And Stars
12. Art Department feat. Seth Troxler - Vampire Nightclub
13. Deetron - Sing
14. Guti & Dubshape - Every Cow Has A Bird
15. Soul Keita & Nicolas Jaar - Para(sol)
16. Damian Lazarus - Diamond In The Dark (dOP Remix)
17. Lee Jones - Yoyo
18. Agaric - Run (Ostern Jam)
19. Su Kramer - Magic Dance
20. Bill Holt - Program Ten (Part Five)
21. Bill Holt - Program Ten (Part Six)

Art Department feat. Seth Troxler - Vampire Nightclub

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