I feel like I am missing something here – “when did IDM hit the dancefloor?”.
James Holden is one of the youngsters snapping at the heels of the old guard of international DJ/producers. Recently on tour in Australia playing at big relatively mainstream events, and remixing Britney Spears and New Order, I had not expected to hear Holden deliver the tracklisting that is on this rather tasty double mix CD. Opening the first mix with Apparat and Plastikman which really sets the tone, he traverses pretty much the entire palette of sounds that constitute the last five years of IDM and ‘indietronica’ (Morr Music etc) ending the first disc with Fennesz and the second with AFX. Obviously there is more than a bit of genre-shearing going on here – where genre continents are colliding and new regions, interzones and mountains being formed in the friction between them. In some ways this mix can be read as a reaction to the thrusting, riff-heavy electro-rock-techno of the moment, instead aiming for a more floating, ambient-inspired, experience. For those never exposed to the last five years of IDM and its offshoots then this will no doubt bring many new ears in to the fold, as those already in the fold who will already know more than half the selection have begun to shift out – is this the mainstreaming process in action? Either way, this is an interesting and well considered DJ mix.
