Chris Fortier contacted me a few months ago to let me know about a series of EPs that he and Australia’s EQ Records (home of the Balance series) were releasing this year based on his 2007 album As Long As The Moment Exists. I liked that album, but I also found some tracks a little too proggy for my tastes and I felt that especially these tracks were in dire need of remixing to help correct what I considered missteps.
Anyway, despite any hidden misgivings I may have harbored about the new project I was mostly interested in learning more about the ambitious undertaking based on the strong flow of top notch tracks that Fortier’s Fade imprint has been putting out. In my opinion, most of the label’s new releases have had staying power so a series of remixes is no doubt gonna get my undivided attention.
EXCLUSIVE* 3 HOUR MIX OF CHRIS FORTIER LIVE AT PACHA NYC 9/19/08
Chris Fortier @ Pacha_NYC part 1 (September 19, 2008).mp3
http://www.sendspace.com/file/9n66ah
Chris Fortier @ Pacha_NYC part 2 (September 19, 2008).mp3
http://www.sendspace.com/file/fotk73
Chris Fortier @ Pacha_NYC part 3 (September 19, 2008).mp3
http://www.sendspace.com/file/vbwqfp
So far the first three EPs have been more tech than trance-which is great since the summer has been littered with ever so much shitty trance passing it self off as techno. Most of the remixes work-whether they are radical re-working or stick to the original templates more closely, and best of all there are few clunkers in the bunch- a rarity in the download age where quantity has vanquished quality.
Some remixes such as those by old veteran Ed Davenport or up & comers like Coalition of the Killing deconstruct the material so completely that not only is it a great new track but also had me going back to appreciate the original version.
Others in ther series go for the dancefloor in a variety of the standard techno guises from minimal to housey and you can find a lot of them on here to varying degrees of taste. I think the idea here is a little something for everybody and a “best of” collection on CD when the whole project is complete. How egalitarian….
It seems clear to me now, especially after chatting with Fortier on the phone, that he is treating this new release as a showcase for his own label and sound. I’ve found little difference in the new EPs on EQ and most of the recent output coming from Fade. Lucky for us that the guy honed his A&R skills to a science running the Balance record pool with Jimmy Van M because usually these things just devolve into your typical lowest common demoninator pap.