[i:Vibes] James Zabiela - Utilities [Renaissance/Thrive]

» Tune of the week: Gary Maguire - Are You Real
» Classic of the week: Blank & Jones - Beyond Time
» Album of the month: Solarstone - Innermost

ç¥´ personal
Username:	Password:	Autologin
Not a registered user? Click >here< to register now. It's free, you get access to all features and can win great prizes!

Search:

Main Menu

Interactive

Info

Essential audio

The official i:Vibes Spotify Trance playlist

James Zabiela - Utilities [Renaissance/Thrive]

15:49 - August 3, 2005

by Andy P

Zabiela returns with the followup to his 2004 compilation called Renaissance:Alive. CD 1 uses the Abletron software, Disc 2 is Zabiela with the 3 CDJ's and DFX unit. Don't miss out!

James Zabiela – Utilities (Renaissance/Thrive)

The man is back after his 2004’s much loved 2CD album called Renaissance:Alive. The wonderkid known as Zabiela decided to release the followup to the album mentioned above. Zabiela has had a wild few years, from winning a Bedroom DJ contest, to being signed by Sasha’s agency, to deejaying with Sasha. The man then started to headline events on his own, known for his wild 3 CDJ deck skills. So its safe to say that James Zabiela is a kid in a toystore, from humble beginning to now one of the more popular deejays in the world and he’s not even thirty.

He decided to release Utilities and CD 1 uses the much hyped Abletron software to mix and CD 2 is Zabiela on 3 CDJ decks. He’s also claimed this will be his last mix CD for a while because the man does’nt want to be a one trick pony nor does he want to saturate the scene with mix CDs that he did. He’s certainly one that’s seen other deejays fall in many ways and I believe he’s trying to avoid them.

Disc 1 – Computed

01. James Zabiela and Nick Boulton – Quantum Realities (Intro)
02. Decomposed Subsonics – Atlantic View
03. The Consumer – Your Soul for Access
04. Wyatt Earp and Like Mike – Android (Original Mix)
05. Aphex Twin - Windowlicker (Kriece Mix)
06. Solid Groove – This Is Sick
07. James Zabiela – EyeAMcomputer
08. Soundex – On/Off
09. Lee Coombs – Outta My Mind (Breaks Mix)
10. Lee Coombs – Outta My Mind (House Mix)
11. Will Saul – Mbira (Infusion Remix)
12. James Zabiela – Robophobia (JZ’s Childhood Edit)
13. Abysm – Future Love
14. Nicolas Vallee presente Silvertone – The Theme From Silvertone
15. Hugg and Pepp – Snabeln
16. Hisham Samawi and Dennis Rodgers – Through You (Outro)

Disc 2 – Recorded

01. Hisham Samawi and Dennis Rodgers – Through You
02. Martin C – The Escape
03. Trentemoller – Rykketid
04. Walter Ercolino – One Flew Over The Cocoo’s Nest
05. Montero – Captain Hook (House Mix)
06. Rob Mooney – Feelin Electro
07. Buick Project – At The Rave
08. Gerome Sportelli – Growth
09. Hugg and Pepp – Pellefant
10. PMT – Gyromancer (Elite Force Mix)
11. The Carbon Community – Simon Says
12. Ellen Allien – Sehnsucht (Zabiela Live Edit)

Disc One uses the Abletron Software, which has been made famous by Sasha, who ditched mixing himself and decided to go in the computer direction. Zabiela decided to use Abletron in Disc 1 and the usual 3 CDJ’s and the DFX unit in Disc 2 and let the people decide, which ones that they like the most.

The first disc is mixed very well, not many can tell that its mixed on a computer but what some will notice, its not Zabiela’s style, of scratching and playing around with a DFX unit and 3 CDJ’s. The first mix goes into an electro-house direction, with the first part being electro at times and then pushing into house. Zabiela brings his own EyeAMComputer track into the mix, which gives it some style. The mix pushes into breaks near the last half with Lee Coombs, Infusion’s mix of Mbira and then Zabiela returns with Robophobia and then the mix picks up steam as it heads into the final part and into the outro.

The first disc is rather refreshing at times because some people cannot stand Zabiela’s unique style and it is interesting to see what all the hoopla is about with Abletron’s software. I think while the mixing is decent, nothing tops people mixing live on records and CDJ’s. With Abletron, the human element is taken out and that’s why Sasha has lost his mind and hopefully he will be back to his old style within a year. I still don’t see with CD, why Abletron has taken off, maybe people have just can’t mix or they don’t realize that being a deejay is also being a musician.

Disc Two is the better of the two discs, with Zabiela going back to his old stomping ground and this is his trademark sound on his disc. He uses some tracks that I’ve never heard and brings in some usual names like Trentemoller, Buick Project, PMT and Hugg and Pepp (aka Dahlback and Dahlback). Its Zabiela with the effects and the scratches and he’s better at this than the hyped Abletron system. This mix seems to take off and just keeps building and building till the amazing Zabiela edit of Sehnsucht and he even manages to add the dark and nasty remix from Elite Force of Gyromancer before the amazing finale.

Disc Two shows you the human element of deejaying, yes you still have to pick the records but mixing was why people went to see deejays along with the records they played. It is still nice to see that Zabiela probably won’t go in the same direction as his teacher aka Sasha.

Conclusion:
2 Solid Discs showcase why Zabiela is one of the world’s best, pick this up if you want to hear the difference between Abletron and real mixing. I love how Zabiela gives us two very different discs and that’s good and it shows that he knows what people want.

Out on Renaissance in Europe and Thrive in North America