John Digweed

John Digweed

Long gone are the days when John Digweed needed the name of his erstwhile partner, Sasha, to draw attention to his talents. The DJ has been shining alone for a while and is now lending his skills to others, specifically Canada's production duo du jour, MSTRKRFT. Digweed and MSTRKRFT are on a month-long tour, "Diamonds 07," scheduled around the release of the second volume in Digweed's four-part Transitions series.

Named after Digweed's syndicated radio show, Transitions showcases everything he is known for: seamless mixing and choice selections. Digweed favors a bass-heavy sound that serves him well in his live sets and works just as well on this mix. Digweed's signature long-mix style is one of the key points on Transitions, allowing the tracks to play themselves out without jumping into the next one too quickly. Nothing is quite the same as hearing Digweed lock into a groove as a live DJ — something that occurs roughly a third of the way into his marathon sets.

While Digweed's marquee value may be bringing some well-deserved attention to MSTRKRFT, the pair are bringing some cutting-edge credibility to Digweed's now mainstream profile. The two — who tend to hide their visages behind robot masks, Daft Punk-style — have released their critically acclaimed album, The Looks. The disc has generated numerous remix gigs, for bands such as Bloc Party and Wolfmother.