- Oneman is a fucking killer DJ. Like Jackmaster, his closest contemporary, he's always ahead of the game, breaking artists you haven't heard of and dropping fresh material from the ones you have. He knows how to read pretty much any crowd—anyone who's seen him play will tell you about the frequent dips into rap and pop, even cheesy curveballs like Daft Punk's "Too Long." But time after time, recordings have failed to capture his brilliance. Licensing laws meant that his Rinse and Fabriclive CDs didn't have the spontaneity of his Sunday (now Tuesday) Rinse FM radio shows. As if to respond to the conundrum, earlier this year he launched Solitaire, a self-released mix series where he could do whatever the hell he wanted. But the first edition kind of fell flat. Now he's back with a second, featuring exclusive tracks from the likes of Jeremiah Jae and Lofty305. And this time he hit the nail on the head.
Solitaire starts off slow and druggy, mixing together laid-back tracks from Darq E Freaker, Loefah and Lil Ugly Mane. It's so woozy that it's almost graceful. There's a hint at release with a truly off-piste Rabit remix of Kelly Rowland's heartrending "Dirty Laundry," and then it really gets going, cruising through tracks from Bok Bok and Mumdance. The pace is so on-point that even with all of Oneman's hard stops and slowdowns, the energy never dissipates. Take the part where Meli'sa Morgan's cover of Prince's "Do Me Baby" follows Tyree's "Acid Over." Logically, this shouldn't work, but the latter track's acid belches perfectly colour in the lines of the more spacious ballad. When Paleman waltzes in with "Who's This," he picks things back up without killing Morgan's delicate groove.
Oneman loves to challenge his audience as much as he likes to tickle their pleasure centres. Loefah's "Champion" stops a particularly spirited run with harsh sputters that sound like the mixer is coughing. And then Alex Deamonds' "Air Max 97" picks the pieces off the ground and puts things back as they were, setting the stage for anthems like Rich Homie Quan's "Some Type Of Way" and the Brenmar & Finesse edit of Beyonce and Drake's "Furthest Thing." When things cool down with Oneman's own remix of Mount Kimbie, it feels like a triumph, the culmination of what he's been trying to get across with his past mixes. Ironically, Solitaire Vol. 2 feels momentous enough that it deserves a physical format. But sometimes there's nothing better than a 90-minute MP3.
Tracklist01. Darq E Freaker - Yeah, Yeah, Yeah (Dun Know)
02. Paleman - The Day
03. DJ Smokey - Purple Durty Sprite
04. Loefah - Grand Master (Ruff Mix)
05. Lil Ugly Mane - Throw Dem Gunz
06. Eyedress - Lunallena
07. Derek Djons - You And Your Pals
08. Kelly Rowland - Dirty Laundry (Rabit Remix)
09. Lil Durk - Dis Ain't What U Want
10. Mumdance & Logos - Legion
11. Bok Bok & Tom Trago - Get Me What U Want
12. Tyree - Acid Over
13. Meli'sa Morgan - Do Me Baby
14. Paleman - Who This
15. Ciara - Ride (Marcx Remix)
16. Plasticman - The Search (Mak & Pasteman Remix)
17. Loefah - Champion
18. Lofty305 x Brtsh Knights - South Of The River
19. Jay Weed - Dazzled
20. Rich Homie Quan - Some Type Of Way
21. Alex Deamonds - Air Max 97
22. Luke Vibert - London
23. Rabit - Yellow Haze
24. Beyonce - Naughty Girl (Brenmar & Finesse Remix)
25. Twwth - Thousand Million
26. King Los - Like Me (Dj Tiga x Tim Dolla x Brenmar Club Edit)
27. Denzel Curry - Talk That Shit
28. Eyedress - No Competition
29. Lil Ugly Mane - Serious Shit
30. Parris - Cold Nights
31. Jeremih - Ex-To-See
32. Lofty305 - Expensive Nut Bussa
33. Denel Curry ft. Nell - Tales From The Darkside
34. Fatima Al-Qadiri - Knight Fare
35. Wiley - And Again
36. The Phantom - Earth Beat
37. Danny Brown - DIP
38. Surkin - Oedo 606 (Sam Tiba Remix)
39. Drake - Futhest Thing
40. Mount Kimbie ft. King Krule - You Took Your Time (Oneman Remix ft. Jeremiah Jae)
41. Rabit - Send