Posted on: July 12, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

There are 17 different artists on this compilation, and for those individuals that might not be the biggest fans of dance and electronic music, the names will not be too recognizable. For me, I was only familiar with Royksopp. The disc starts out with a quick introduction before moving into a Claude Vonstroke song. This song, “The 7 Deadly Strokes”, is a solid electronic song but tends to last for a little long. The smart thing that is done with the songs on “Fabric30” is that Rub-N-Tug puts together the constituent songs into one long mix. DJs could conceivably (if they were lazy) just stick on this album and walk away for an hour.

There would not be any need to change up the order or the style of the tracks any more than Rub-N-Tug does here. While the tracks on the disc morph together at points, there are songs like “Let’s Get Busy” that shine beyond the others. The funkiness present on this track does not perfectly mesh with the more dance-themed tracks on “Fabric30”, but allows individuals to stick with the disc longer than would be possible normally. The interesting thing about the songs on “Fabric30” is that the vast majority of them are instrumental. This is usually a problem considering that individuals have been socialized to appreciate vocal music over instrumental music, but the bands on “Fabric 30” are talented enough to tell a story with their backdrops, while Rub-N-Tug goes that extra mile to tie these stories up in a narrative. There are some tracks where there is a little ennui build up, such as Dondolo’s “Dragon (Shit Robot Remix), but these are few and far between.

This is a feat considering that there are seventeen tracks on this album. While there is nothing in the way of an overarching theme to tie the tracks together on “Fabric30”, the unification of the tracks gives individuals a reason to continue listening. Rub-N-Tug should come out with more of the same when it comes to future albums, as the tracks are vibrant, and allow listeners to find some new acts that may not be the biggest things in the current period. Individuals that are not into the trance or electronic genres may find it a little hard to get into the album, but there are a number of overtures made to individuals that may not normally like the style of music that is present.

Top Tracks: Slok / Lonely child, Jesse Rose / Evening Standard

Rating: 6.5/10

Rub-N-Tug – Fabric30 / 2006 Fabric / 17 Tracks / http://www.fabriclondon.com / Reviewed 28 December 2006

[JMcQ]

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