- You've probably been there yourself. Not necessarily BPM, though the ten-day festival in Mexico is quickly establishing itself as an essential date on the international clubbing calendar. No, I'm talking about dance floors across the globe where the tech house sound of this mix, compiled by BPM regulars Art Department, has taken hold. BPM 001 might be pitched as the soundtrack to beach parties full of bronzed bodies, but it sounds so nocturnal that you'd think the only tan you'd get would be from the flashing strobes.
Whether through their DJ sets, productions or the music on their label, No. 19, Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White have pushed this sound ever since Without You, their 2010 hit on Crosstown Rebels. Much of the music here comes from No. 19 artists like Eric Volta, whose "Bergundy Blood (My Eyes Are Open)" could almost be an outtake from Art Department's 2011 album The Drawing Board. Deniz Kurtel represents the Crosstown Rebels camp, and the Innervisions crew contribute two of their standout tunes from last year: Marcus Worgull and Peter Pardeike's "Lenoix" and Tenwalls' "Requiem." The latter crops up after a moody opening section, and is the first of the mix's big tunes. By "big" I'm talking mainly about the sheer length of some of these tracks. As with DJs like Danny Tenaglia and Steve Lawler during the prog house heyday—an era that Deniz Kurtel's "Deepression" brings to mind—White and Glasgow's mixing style and penchant for tracks that take their time means you need to strap yourself in for the long-haul. Still, with a tracklist that also includes Mathew Jonson's remix of VCMG's "Single Blip" and Art Department's new single "Sun Comes Up," BPM 001 nicely encapsulates one of house music's current prevailing sounds.
Tracklist01. Oskar Offerman - You Said Party, I Said Maybe (Dub)
02. Oskar Offerman & Edward - What Have We Become
03. Maher Daniel & Jon Charnis - Lonely Stars In Open Skies (Luca Bacchetti Remix)
04. Tenwalls - Requiem
05. Deetron - Character
06. Deniz Kurtel - Deepression
07. Boris Horel - Wild Combinations
08. Baikal - Why Don't Ya (Ripperton Remix)
09. Louie Fresco - Arabian Sexcapade
10. Art Department - Sun Comes Up (Mind Against 909 Remix)
11. Eric Volta - Love Your Illusion
12. VCMG - Single Blip (Mathew Jonson Remix)
13. Marcus Worgull & Peter Pardeike - Lenoix
14. Eric Volta featuring Gretz - Blood Burgundy (My Eyes Are Open)