Various Artists – #GU40: Hamburg Mixed By Solomun – (Global Underground)
DMC World Magazine
Life begins at 40, doesn’t it? Congratulations to Global Underground on reaching that particular milestone, because their series – especially in the early days – has been a ground breaking one, an illustration of how to bring a real sense of occasion to each release. I think I’m right in saying that this is their first visit to a German city though…with Hamburg native Solomun acting as tour guide. He does an excellent job, especially in the moodiness of the first mix, which drifts in with Christian Loffler’s ‘Blind’. This is deep and deliciously dark music that reaches a peak with Jonas Mantey’s ‘Sie Ist Schoen’, a string-led number that exerts a powerful pull on the heartstrings, before shifting into Bonobo’s ‘Cirrus’ and later high points from Superpitcher and Planningtorock. The second mix shifts up through the gears, with Daniel Avery’s ‘Naïve Response’, Radio Slave’s ‘My Bleep’ (in its Roman Flügel remix guise) and Solomun’s ‘Medea’ all part of a solid house mix that keeps the emotional impact. As Fabric have shown, compilation series can last for ages if the music’s good enough – and the signs here are that Global Underground are still completely capable of lasting the pace. Solomun’s pair of mixes are a great opportunity from which they can kick on.
