The last Pacific Front Sessions mix starts off atmospheric and ambient with some classic work by Saints and Sinners – “Peace,” remixed by the one and only Michael Woods. I had to do quite a bit of warping and filtering to get it to mix into the following track, Luke Chable’s “Melburn” which was given an ambient treatment by .. himself. I believe I heard this version when Kasey Taylor came to Focus at Lotus (Vancouver) several years back and started a set with it. Very cool so far as backwards music goes, or forwards music for that matter. Some light rhythm in Melburn sets the stage for the transition to breaks, where Domased Electronica’s “Mermaid” swims into the mix, with a remix by the atmospheric breakbeat authority of Fretwell. This track is brooding and determined, building momentum in preparation for Ronyo and Chris Drifter’s “Disconnected Illusions.” Aeron Aether is one of my favourite artists out there right now and he shows why in this understated remix which continues what Mermaid began. Half time beats and filtered down sounds come together to increase the inertia of the mix – layer upon layer.
The pads of Michael, Levan and Stiven Rivic’s “Free Fall” lay over top of Disconnected Illusions for a bit before the four on the floor takes over from the breakbeat of Domased Electronica, but it’s not long before they return midway through Free Fall, care of Dynamic Illusion’s superb remix work. Dynamic Illusion has grown to become one of my favourite remixers in progressive house and breaks over the last few years and he shows why in this track. Humbling work on this track, reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys and Starecase at the same time. The mix takes a turn for the haunting as Lighter and Gee’s “Helene” steps into the mix. Armin Prayd’s remix is somehow both abrasive and smooth at once, crafting an old school feel out of synths and a vocal that sounds like it could have come straight out of Alice in Wonderland. Dark, lo-fi and hi-fi at the same time, Helene’s unusual arrangement leaves you wondering how far down the rabbit hole you’ve actually gone. The answer is provided by BT’s new track, “Rose of Jericho,” which features rolling basslines and stupendous intertwining melodies. This track has an Adam K and Soha treatment on the remix, and the result of combining their very smooth remix style with BT’s unparalleled original work is nothing short of a progressive masterpiece. Following in this vibe is Mango’s “5th in Blue,” with a nod to the 80s with well placed tom rolls as well as a nod to the future with crisp and punchy bassline work in Proff’s remix. The mood of this track really opens up and resolves a lot of tension that has built up over the mix.
The second to last track, “Abydos,” continues with the energy that has built up and turns it into a driving bassline and arpeggiation. Probspot and Zinfandel (not a bad wine) keep it smooth and clinical and the track has built up into a many-layered eastern-melodic piece before you know it. Finally, Vince Vaccaro’s “South Pacific Ocean,” a favourite track of mine, gets a remix treatment by… me. There is breakdowns galore, synths and basslines galore, slide guitars, strings vocals, and a lot of effects. I made the ending of this track specifically the way it is to end this mix and the show in general. Hope you like it, it’s going to get properly mastered once I do another couple remixes.
Tracklisting:
- Saints and Sinners – Peace (Michael Woods remix) [Lost Language]
- Luke Chable – Melburn (Am Bee En Tea mix) [Trojan]
- Domased Electronica – Mermaid (Fretwell remix) [Mistiquemusic]
- Ronyo and Chris Drifter – Disconnected Illusions (Aeron Aether remix) [SoundTribe Rekords]
- Michael and Levan featuring Stiven Rivic – Free Fall (Dynamic Illusion’s Cloud West Paradise mix) [Toes in the Sand Digital]
- Lighter and Gee – Helene (Armin Prayd remix) [BikiniTracks]
- BT – Rose of Jericho (Adam K and Soha remix) [Nettwerk]
- Mango – 5th in Blue (Proff Original mix) [Unreleased Digital]
- Probspot and Zinfandel – Abydos (Original mix) [Amenta]
- Vince Vaccaro – South Pacific Ocean (AFK remix) [Unreleased]
Download: AFK – Pacific Front Sessions: August 2009 (mp3)
Right click and Save As, or option-click the link on a Mac to automatically download
Pacific Front Sessions is now over
With myself and Formulate as the hosts, Pacific Front Sessions has brought the sound of the Pacific northwest to an international audience on Proton Radio for 3 years. Our guests have included (in order of appearance, multiple appearances have been omitted):
- AFK
- Formulate
- c79
- Braeden
- Fractal
- Leekee
- Vespers
- Kenzie Clarke
- Emmanuel Fereira
- Gillsans
- Beaks McGavin
- NPG
- Steve May
- Dirty
- The Firm
- Joel Armstrong
- Julian Chow
- Calex
- DJ Velvety
- Miguel Alvarado
- Kevin Shiu
- John Morgan (Powerplant)
- Stefan Anion
- DJ Raph
- Retroid
- Dustin H
- Natron
- Toby Emerson
- Dub Gnostic
- Stefan Alan
A full archive, including guest mixes and voiceovers as they aired, is available on pacificfront.ca. Look on the right.
Thank you to all of those who played, many of you several times, and a special thanks to Ben Malcolm who provided high quality voiceovers for the radio versions of the mixes. Thanks to all the record labels and producers that sent me high quality promos which I was able to mix into a lot of the shows. That network we developed has a specific sound to it, and I’m glad we have been able to collaborate this way.
We started the show at a very odd hour, as I recall, and over time the station recognized the show’s potential and kept moving it further into the peak hours of the day time until we were back to back with John Digweed’s “Transitions.” To this end we owe Jason and Sam from Proton Radio our deepest gratitude for sticking with us and believing in the show concept.
Finally, thank you to those who listened regularly and participated by leaving their thoughts behind with each mix. That included people on this site and a few other forums, most notably on hybridized and ravevictoria, as well as by email. It’s been a slice!
