Nina Kraviz's own IMPRV, one of the 29 tracks featured on the mix.
Artist: Various (selected and mixed by Nina Kraviz)
Album: DJ-Kicks Nina Kraviz
Label: !K7
Released: 26/01/15
First off, an admission: I was sceptical as to how Kraviz's late-night/early-morning techno would work when listened to on headphones rather than a booming Funktion 1. Her sets are deep and layered; they undulate smoothly and carefully and invite clubbers to get lost in their depths as bleeps and beats emerge from the void then graually disappear again. With all the right elements in place and working this can be a very hypnotic, trippy experience and a real treat lately with Kraviz hitting a rich vein of form in the last 12 months or so. Well, her form continues, as my misgivings as to how this would sound at home quickly proved to be unfounded.
This mix must be listened to in one go to be appreciated; the individual tracks complement and speak to each other effectively and reveal themselves thoughtfully. In fact, thoughtfulness is evident throughout, as is Kraviz's assured confidence in the mix. Snippets of tracks appear fleetingly to help transition between the longer players - case in point the beautifully subtle movement from the underwater alarms of Area's Broken Glass Everywhere, through Prototype 909's Atma, to the haunting David Bowie vocals (oh yes!) of Goldie's Truth.
This means that the at-first-glance daunting 29 tracks are condensed into just over an hour but also makes it difficult to pick out highlights as individual tunes rarely stand alone (a definite bonus that makes the listener appreciate the mix as a single piece of work rather than just a beatmatched series of tracks in a similar genre). There are standouts moments though, the giddiness of Freak Electrique's Parsec and the haunting fragility of Polygon Window's Quino-Phec offer exciting changes of pace and mood in the mix whilst remaining true to it as a whole.
This isn't just one for the DJ Kicks completists (of whom there'll be many) or Kraviz die-hards. It's a powerful, at times bewitching trip down into the icy depths of techno and another chapter in the inexorable rise and rise of one of dance music's most original minds.
WORDS | Andrew Fulker
Tracklist:
01. Egotrip - Dreamworld (Acapella)
02. Nina Kraviz - Mystery (DJ-Kicks)
03. Area - Broken Glass Everywhere
04. Prototype 909 - Atma
05. Goldie - Truth
06. Bjarki - Revolution
07. Nina Kraviz - IMPRV
08. Bjarki - Polygon Pink Toast
09. Population One - Bonus Beat
Flatner / Ingram Project - Da Comin' (Jay Denham RMX) Acapella
Parrish Smith - 1.0 / 8.0 Afrika Genocide Acapella
10. Breaker 1 2 - In The Distance
11. Steve Stoll - Pop Song
12. Bradley Strider - Untitled
13. Stanislav Tolkachev - I Will Not Pee In The Pool
14. Armando - Pleasure Dome
15. Nina Kraviz - Prozimokompleme
16. Baby Ford - 24 HR
17. Fred P - Higher Mentalism (edit)
18. Exos - Nuclear Red Guard
19. Steve Stoll - Corona
20. Freak Electrique - Parsec
21. Population One - Out Of Control (Vocal Mix)
22. Exos & Octal - Grow
23. Porn Sword Tobacco & SVN - Complaints A
24. Plaid - Oi
25. DJ Bone - The Vibe
26. Adam Beyer pres Conceiled Project - Pattern 1
27. Polygon Window - Quino-Phec
28. Nikita Zabelin feat. dBridge - So Lonely
29. Rhizome - Corridor
