Difficult to believe Balance has reached a massive 30 instalments, but it has done so with a high quality threshold and with contributions from some of the world’s finest DJs. Max Cooper is the latest to step up, and he delivers a pair of very spacey mixes that sound excellent on headphones. The first set enjoys a nod to some of the biggest names in classical-influenced electronica (Bing & Ruth, Nils Frahm and Ben Lukas Boysen) before flexing its muscles with greater conviction through Deapmash and Burnski. Even with bigger beats Cooper keeps a wide sonic picture, so the second mix – headed by Loscil’s remix of Lusine’s ‘Ticking Hands’ – can effectively start without a break. This second mix enjoys more woozy ambience through Cooper himself, remixing Hidden Orchestra’s ‘Wingbeats’, but also enjoys the odd retro excursion with the bigger, slower beats of Com Truise and the quick-fire yet blissful d & b of LSB. Ending with Rival Consoles’ ‘What Sorrow’ is a great move, a piece that is almost like a mix in its own right because of the power surge it generates.
Ben Hogwood
4 out of 5
VARIOUS ARTISTS – BALANCE 030: MAX COOPER (BALANCE MUSIC)
