Panorama Bar 01] Cassy

Every musical movement has a moment. A point in time when everything crescendos; the mood, the groove, the music, it all peaks. It is in this single moment that can make or break the movement; think of it as a journey, scaling a mountain, for instance. One can either successfully reach the peak, or fall behind, overshadowed by the mountain's wake. The mix cd is a format almost tailor-made for this moment, investing a good three-quarters of an hour towards a single moment of musically, physical, and emotional ecstasy that requires that prerequisite time investment. The mountain is much the same story: it's hard to get straight to the top. To get there, one must climb. And usually, the summit is always in sight. Such is not the case for the mix cd. All one can do is allow the groove to cradle you in its gossamer, sinuous arms and hope it carries you to a better place. What truly makes a mix great? For me, it comes in the realization of climax, knowing the moment at the moment it drops, gleaning from it that monumental feeling of joy, tapping straight into the groove itself for your own slice of heaven.
One such mix that delivers on this difficult-to-recreate moment is Cassy's premier mix for Panorama Bar. Released in August of 2006, the Panorama Bar resident's mix dips its toes in minimal techno, microhouse, and deeper, dubbier tech house for the mix's 70+ minute runtime. Otherworldly voices, slithering bass, and dubby textures permeate every corner of the mix, and Cassy's mixing skills are completely up to snuff. The true joy of a mix cd (besides the aforementioned peak moment) is the inability to notice the track change until its already happened. As one continuous piece of music, it is always a testament to the mixer's skills if one is unable to pick out, with ease, the moment the next track segues in. At the same time, it must also be obvious enough that it catches your attention: useless is a mix that runs a single groove and goes nowhere with it. Luckily, Cassy does not run into this problem at all, and she expertly steers this mix from Shackleton's post-dubstep masterwork "Blood On My Hands" into deeper, spacier territory in DD5's dubby "Sides Of Space" and Thomas Melchior's deep minimal cut "Let's Go Deep".
This brings us to track selection, an always crucial element of any mix, seeing as the format basically comes down to a shortened, pre-made DJ set. With 24 tracks in total, and not a single one running for more than four minutes (by a few seconds that is) Cassy's choices range from eclectic (Norm Talley's soulful house remix of "Believe", DJ Abstract's glossy, stuttering "Touch") to blissfully deep (the Melchior and DD5 tracks) to straight-up techno (Redshape's metallic, spacey "Pink Dust", Mathias Kaden's bubbly, groovy "Pentaton") to, well, even dubstep. Cassy's crate runs deep, and her tracks go a long way to creating a seamless, bubbly, and flexible groove.
Themes differ from mix to mix, and it's sometimes hard to tell where a mix is going if the mixer doesn't make it immediately clear where they are headed. However, that lack of knowledge can sometimes go a good distance in holding your attention to the mix, curiosity becoming f]your primary motivation to listen and not the groove itself. Everything in moderation, as they say. A balance of both of these, for me, is what makes a great mix. And as previously noted, Cassy moves deftly from one corner of techno to the other in the span of five or so tracks, and the groove is never interrupted. She keeps you guessing, but never stops your feet from moving. The sign of a great mixer and a splendid mix, indeed! The groove floats along melodically, supported minimally to a steady plateau of involvement, never getting in the way of the bass or the drums, the true masters of the groove here. I listened to this mix as I took a nap and I could feel the bass as I slept. Hypnotic, sharp, and so damn groovy, Cassy's track selection will do a number of your feet, ass, and head. Hopefully all three at the same time. The groove never falters but the mood swings around a bit, giving the mix some character and personality for the dancefloor.
And that peak moment I discussed before? As I napped, the bass suddenly stopped, and some filtered hi-hats came in, swirling around one another as a synth crept into the background before the heavy, firm groove dropped back in. I bolted up and rewound the mix. That was the moment, the middle of Mathias Kaden's "Pentaton", the beginning of a thick, techno-heavy peak that trails off into a shimmering finish. Cassy's mix stands as the one to beat for me, how to do everything in a mix right. The mixing, the track selection, the peak, the groove, everything is done to a tee with skill and appreciation of the craft and the raw materials. Alone, these tracks are simply dance tracks. Together, they are a movement, a story, a groove. That, in the end, is the point of a mix, bring together many to make one, and do something with it, whatever it might be. Make it groove, make it sing, make it snarl, make it explode. As we close this storybook, remember that in the world of electronic music, the most important tool in your arsenal is the groove. Cassy has mastered it, judging by this mix. May the groove be with you.
-NL

Sor & Since We Last Met

It's been too long, friends. Sorry 'bout that. In college now, up at the lovely University of Vermont, and loving every second of it. Let's get down to business now, eh?

The first track I'd like to highlight is an oldie, but one I only recently stumbled across. It's from Chris Liebing's own label, CLR, which is known for boisterous, abrasive hard techno. This cut comes from German producer Tommy Four Seven, and it is by far the hardest-edged techno cut I have ever heard. So dense and so thunderous a tune this is, it literally sounds as if the track is coming apart at the seams. Interestingly, only occasionally does this track rely on a 4/4 drum pattern, giving it a deeper, slower, more ominous mood. The main riff, if you could even call it a riff, sounds like angry, warped white noise trapped in some kind of subspace; desperate for attention but unable to get but a few growls and snarls out. The bassline is gnarled, taut, and monstrous, an entity all its own. An apocalyptic death-march that snarls, barks, and grinds the very membrane of your skull, this is only for those few who truly enjoy techno: this is the outer limits of danceable, down-to-earth techno.



---

This next track is a huge standout for me, a deep minimal disco gem that floats above headspace with a beautifully simple, honey-sweet synth riff that, however simplistic, gets stuck in your head and creeps through your body like some kind of heavenly virus. Go figure. Written by NDF (Sergio Giorgini & Bruno Pronsato) "Since We Last Met" takes gossamer synths, a flitting flute sample, a simple bassline, and a few other simple effects to create a gorgeous aural palette of music that drifts for a little over ten minutes. From time to time a disembodied voice will wander into the soundscape (which sounds like it was partly recorded in a train station) and utter a few simple verses with a similarly ethereal voice. The original is a poignant, deep, and utterly beautiful minimal deep disco cut that will remain on my chill-out playlist for a good long while. Multiple plays recommended.



---

Ricardo Villalobos himself turns up on the flip to remix the original (On DFA, no less?!) and any fan of RV knows what to expect: a deep, snaking journey of organic minimal techno, and that's just what we get. Villalobos builds the groove almost right out of the gate, layering a plinking keyboard with buzzes and blips of the original's minimally lush background. Simple hi-hats compliment the rest of the sound before the vocals drop in. Before, where they stood as compliments to the atmosphere, they juxtapose it here to great effect; ghostly voices drifting slowly in and out, lost with no rhythm or sense of direction. From time to time the original's main riff lingers in, if only for a few seconds, before being submerged in atmosphere and those deep drums. A 17-minute journey, this remix might not have as much of an impression or growth as other Villalobos mixes, but its minimally chilled aesthetic and simple groove make it a worthy addition, and a great home listen or afterhours cut.






Will post more later. On to work.
-NL