Fabriclive.24

by John BushFabriclive.24, the first widely released mix album from dance music's most innovative tastemaker of the new millennium, was expected to be a storehouse for reams of hot new productions (or, at least, new to most listeners). Instead, Diplo chose to compile the greatest hits of electro as a salute to his youthful fondness for Miami bass, and sprinkle a few of the Brazilian baile funk tracks that has made his reputation to readers as widely varied as URB and The New Yorker. The appeal of this disc lies squarely with the latter audience; although Diplo's mix makes these tracks sound as great as they ever have, dance fans aren't going to be highly interested in a mix whose first third includes the familiar classics "Clear" by Cybotron, "Don't Go" by Yazoo, "When I Hear Music" by Debbie Deb, "Don't Stop the Rock" by Freestyle, and "Al-Naayfish (The Soul)" by Hashim. Near the halfway point, Diplo finally starts digging deep in his crate to play a few rarely heard Brazilian tracks -- all from the Link label except for one of his own productions, a party bass track recorded with Pantera os Danadihnos. Aside from the familiar track selection, Diplo is magnificent in the mix, continually showing why he's one of the most popular party DJs around. Whether it's dropping a few indie rock tracks near the end of the mix, or slotting Southern rap tracks into the mix (from Killer Mike and Ludacris) without a pause, Diplo does an amazing job of making the familiar sound refreshing.