Lee Burridge - Balance 012

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  • Breaking from the proggier sounds of previous Balance volumes, Lee Burridge's Balance 012 is a gargantuan three-disc epic of modern European minimal. For my money, it's one of the most memorable mixes in series yet, right up there with classics by James Holden and Jimmy Van M. Why? Well, instead of just another pile of (nice) tracks, it's a mix which succeeds because of acutely honed DJ instincts. It might be over three hours long, but it has a cohesive feel, no doubt due to the years Burridge has racked up in the clubs, living out of a suitcase on his seemingly never-ending '365' world tour. Balance 12 has an all too rare and genuinely titillating night-at-the-club feel that seems borne out of experience. Burridge has caught some flak for daring to use some of last year's tracks on this mix, but for my money, it only adds to this authentic night out vibe. No disrespect, but I'm betting clubbers in Lebanon or Jakarta care a little less than Londoners or Berliners about whether the DJ is spinning white labels, and that can only be a good thing when the records spinning are modern classics such as Efdemin's 'Bergwein' or Lazy Fat People's 'Club Silencio'. But just like a real night out, things get can a ropey in the booth, and disc two is just that: a DJ struggling to find his groove. Great tracks like Onur Ozer’s moody 'Orion', which opens CD2, and the ghetto house toughness of 'Over That' by Broke, are lost in a sea of uneven track choices that never allow the momentum to get into full swing. Luckily, disc three aims more at the pelvis. Burridge sets phasers to kill and builds a drum-laden wall of modern techno crunchiness highlighting top shelf producers such as Gabriel Ananda and Alexi Delano, with the dancefloor killer 'Cliché' by Rejected, a.k.a Joris Voorn, being a particular standout. Yet surprisingly, it’s disc one that captures Burridge in top form. Subdued mid-Continental bleep house completes with lush and haunting strings, first languidly, then gradually pushing it firmly into early evening with excellent tracks by in-demand cats like Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock ('Dawning') as well as newcomers H.O.S.H. and Marcus Worgull. Balance 012 is that rare mix compilation that will not only work on your home soundsystem, but also nicely documents a DJ in action at the club. It's a sprawling three disc epic that sounds just like Burridge in the flesh, rammed full of clever mixes and eclectic tech house hooks. The couple of missteps on the disc are forgivable really, and overall it's a fine document for those who've not caught '365' out as well as Lee freaks to boot. This one is roadtested, fit and worthy.
  • Tracklist
      CD1 1. Ripperton - 10A 2. Efdemin - Bergwein 3. Lazy Fat People - Club Silencio 4. Kollektiv Turmstrasse - Tristesse 5. Dettman & Klock - Dawning 6. Jacek Sienkiewicz - Good Luck 7. Ferrer & Sydenham - The Back Door 8. Hug - The Angry Ghost 9. H.O.S.H. - Steppenwolf 10. The Viewers - Blank Images 11. Marcus Worgull - Dragon Loop 12. Jose Padilla - Adios Ayer (Paul Daley Mix) CD2 1. Onur Ozer - Orion 2. Henry & Denis - Catabolism (Efdemin Mix) 3. Pheek - Magda Had a Little Troll (Gurtz Mix) 4. Phage & Daniel Dreier - Elevator 5. Reynold - Bumper 6. Davide Squillace and Alfa Romero - We Scick 7. Super Flu - Lady in Pink 8. Baby Ford and Mark Broom - Bubblebath 9. Broke - Over That 10. Tigerskin - Plagiat 11. Onur Ozer - Red Cabaret (Overture) 12. Spider & Bird - Paris 13. Jorge Savoretti - Claridad 14. Martin Buttrich - Programmer CD3 1. Tomas Andersson - Dubbel Problematik 2. H-Man - 51 Poland Street (Extrawelt Tool) 3. Luca Bacchetti - Rolling Brooklyn 4. Gabriel Ananda - Trommelstunde 5. Alexi Delano & Xpansul - Antioxidation 6. Rejected - Cliche 7. Autotune - Dirty (Woody Mix) 8. Paul Ritch - Samba 9. Alexi Delano & Xpansul - Vegetotherapy 10. Allan Banford - White Geishas 11. Par Grindvik - Do us Apart 12. Bukkadoor & Fishbeck - Polterabend 13. Patrice Baumel - Just Electricity
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