I’ve picked up several “Masters Series” compilations over the years, and they never fail to deliver. I was excited when I found
this in a local CD store, I’d purchased Satoshi Tomiie’s solo release, “Full Lick” a few years back, which featured the fabulous track
“Love in Traffic”. I really enjoyed that disc, and was eager to hear what his DJ style was like.
Disc one is a great melodious
house affair, filled with techy beats, rolling basslines and various synth melodies. The tempo is slow but steady, giving the
mix an overall subdued feel. The second disc is not exactly more of the same. There is a harder darker edge and a bit
more of a driving beat, but it’d be a stretch to call it a full on assault (or some other standard music geek phrase). The
overall styles of the two discs sort of defies pigeonholing into one of the many house sub-genres, and in that regard I guess it falls
mostly into the “progressive” category.
Initially I was lukewarm about this release. Several times on Disc one,
it seems like things are going to cut loose, and I feel like I’m being taken to the edge only to be drawn back again. . . Disc two
is a little better, but it takes nearly nine tracks into the eleven track mix to really get going, and then it’s more like a Prius
than a Mustang. After a few listenings, and when I’m not necessarily looking for a jackin’ mix, I found this to be a very thoughtful
and provocative set of discs. I’d love to hear this set on a big room soundsystem.
Oh, and did I mention that the artwork
is killer?