
Since '98 the fine people at Sonar Kollektiv have consistently given us the cream of the crop in styles ranging from jazz to house to downtempo and everything in between – all with that unique SK imprint. And now music lovers can rejoice once again and catch a glimpse of the superb mixing and selecting skills that ÂME has become globally known for – with their newest release "...Mixing".
Track Listing:
Laurie Spiegel "Appalachian Grove 1"
New Musik "24 Hours From Culture - Part II (clean version)"
Double "Woman of the World (long intrumental version)"
Nexus "Stand Up (vocal)"
Coldcut "Walk a Mile In My Shoes (Henrik Schwarz remix)(feat. Robert Owens)"
Atjazz "For Real (version mix)"
Ben Westbeech "So Good (Yoruba Soul remix)"
Jonny L. "This Time (Carl Craig rmx)"
Chateau Flight "Baroque"
Lucien-N-Luciano "Stone Age"
Capracara "Flashback 86"
Funtopia "D.Y.W.K. (Derrick May rmx)(feat. Jimi Polo)"
Nia
Jump Cutz Vol 5 "Deep Introspection"
Sunrain
ÂME, also known as Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann, are the masterminds behind the global hit "Rej" from '05 which has ended up in just about every club DJs record bag. Not to anyone's surprise then, they've finally released their first official mix album on Germany's Sonar Kollektiv. In simple terms "ÂME ...mixing" can be considered a culmination of all styles and moods that have influenced the two throughout the years. On an emotional level, this record reels the listener in from the get-go and doesn't let loose until the final second of Ashra's almost religious "Sunrain", proving once again that ÂME is and will continue to be a major force to be reckoned with on the global club scene.
The duo demonstrate their love for classic Detroit Techno, French House, UK broken beat and German minimalism and deliver it all in the form of a most satisfying mix with enough ebbs and flows to keep the listener glued to the speakers.
In the vein of the original "...mixing" compilation by Sonar Kollektiv label bosses Jazzanova from '04, this mix combines the old with the new, at times also (at last) providing listeners with hard to find promos, such as Derrick May's remix of "D.Y.W.K." by Funtopia feat. Jimi Polo remix as well as Jonny L's "This Time" reworked by remix king Carl Craig. The set commences with two old school tracks by Laurie Spiegel ["Appalachian Grove 1"] and New Musik ["24 Hours From Culture - Part II"] that you might hear on a classic downtempo compilation just before Henrik Schwarz's brand new goosebump-inducing remix of Coldcut's "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" gives way for a bit of a swifter pace.
Further standouts are Ben Westbeech's "So Good" Yoruba Soul (Osunlade) remix, as well as ÂME's own almost epic "Nia", which is the crowning track of this mix. ÂME also presents label mates Chateau Flight to the world with a track called "Baroque", giving further insight into just how deep Sonar Kollektiv's catalog is.
In contrast to the sometimes dark and cold sounds emanating out of Germany, this mix has emotion, depth and a strong sense of musicality. If this is any indication of what we can expect to hear from Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann aka ÂME in the future, then the future of club music looks brighter than the nay sayers like to claim.
~ Jesse Rogg
Note: Release date shown is for US. Original release in Europe was 2006-09-10