John Digweed
Global Underground – Los Angeles
Boxed
As if his current DJ sets weren’t deep and dark enough, John Digweed tops himself by throwing a release party on Halloween of all days, and in Los Angeles, of all places. The culmination of his epic, six-hour set is captured here onto two hours and two varying discs. Although the set was trimmed down and fine-tuned later, his latest Global Underground feast is an audio freeze-frame of the throbbing progressive house and trance that slowly bubbles up with each passing track. Once again, the trend with this Brit is to tease and entice you with the first CD, then tantalize and overwhelm on the second offering.
The grappling, strained house of Photek on disc one can’t hold a glowstick to the cavernous 4/4 saga begun by longtime Digweed cohort Jimmy Van M on two. Although bits of trance find their way into the mix, it is ultimately that jackhammer bass drum and low-end, solid steel synth melodies that string the entire 71-minute sequence of side two together. With a more illustrious group of producers, including Medway and Way Out West to tie together, the result is a tighter package than the loose, funky sounds of the first disc. With his third solo Global Underground effort, John Digweed continues to add more spit shine to his already polished name. With the unrelenting music on this latest effort, he was able to expose his demons in the City of Angels.
