Ricardo Villalobos - Fabric 36

The Fabric mix-compilations have been the ground for many DJ's to show their musical tastes and sequencing attributes. With previous contributions from respected artists such as Carl Craig, Ellen Allien, Ivan Smagghe, Rub-N-Tug or Tiefschwarz, its 36th volume probably stands among the series best, with guest DJ being none other than minimal-techno guru Ricardo Villalobos. Never wanting to follow the easy route, and instead of picking already available material from him or other artists, he has chosen to record brand new songs or remixes for this set, making it, in practice, his most recent album of original material. If we keep in mind that one of his main trademarks is the ability to make the listenner travel, it's easy to see that having 75 minutes of non-stop music is the ideal situation for him. With enough time to do whatever he pleases with the sound materials in his hands, Villalobos ends up slowly and patiently building an epic work, one that starts subtly but gradually transforms itself to transcend what is usually considered as minimal techno. With different levels of rhythmic layers and incorporating surprising and hallucinating elements like tribal beats, jam percussions, improvised voice speaches, funk lines or latin chants, each sequence has more than enough time to fully breathe, with narcotic and intensely hypnotizing results. Transforming and blending different styles and incorporating so many infinite details, "Fabric 36" is the definite testament to the fact that minimalism can be an immensely rich form of music. (9/10)