Audio By Carbonatix
As though he can’t contain his own music geekdom, techno legend Carl Craig interjects numerous hoots, hollers, and on-the-spot endorsements throughout his entry in the excellent Fabric mix series. Craig cackles, pointing out the parts he loves, and even quotes First Choice’s “Let No Man Put Asunder.” (“It ain’t over!” he yells during a brief string interlude.) If nothing else, it shows that Craig is not afraid to sound uncool. He turns his back on the acid burns, frigid clicks, and disembodied trance that defined many of this year’s DJ mixes, and proves that minimal does not mean detached. What sets Fabric 25 apart is its integration of black music into an electrohouse aesthetic. From the dizzying kitchen-sink electro of Trickski’s “Sweat” to the disco-influenced, piano house centerpiece of Blaze’s “Most Precious Love” to the fuzzy gospel of Dark Comedy’s “Good God,” Craig never lets his house stray from its roots. The massive 4/4 thump that unites just about everything on Fabric 25 probably sounds a lot like Craig’s heart.
