!K7's long-running DJ-Kicks series is on something of a hot streak, with the Juan MacLean's recent classic-house entry and a promising bass-and-dubstep mix on the way from Hyperdub boss Kode9. Sandwiched between those two is a more experimental but equally appealing set from British producer James Holden. Better known in the UK than in the U.S., Holden has his own imprint (Border Community) and has carved out a name with high-profile remixes for acts as varied as Madonna and New Order. His own tracks are progressive-minded, drawing from IDM, trance, and psychedelic music, but retain a distinct rhythmic quality.
For his DJ-Kicks mix, Holden mostly picks from outside club music for a set that draws heavily on experimental techno, kraut, and ambient sounds. In the disc's liner notes, he writes about being displeased with the current state of techno and wanting to provide an alternative with these tracks. And it is different: Holden chooses music that probably wouldn't fit in a regular DJ set (tracks by experimental acts like Lucky Dragons and Eric Copeland) but the mix hangs together remarkably well.
Largely it works because of Holden's production skill. He'll tweak the pitch or key of a track or blur one song into the next so that this disparate material feels unified. Legowelt's Italo-inspired electro sits comfortably next to Walls' ambient pop. And the mixing is such that you almost don't notice the transitions between songs. A stretch in the middle of the album illustrates it well: It opens with Holden's tech-y remix of Mogwai's "The Sun Smells Too Loud", spills into a loose Steve Reid/Kieran Hebden jam, and then finally into "Punkte" by Ursula Bogner, sort of a squelching minimal-ambient piece. Heard apart, these songs are wildly dissimilar, but Holden finds a rhythmic balance and makes them sound natural together.
Part of the appeal here is simply song choice; these are good, obscure picks that represent an interesting slice of leftfield dance and indie music. But it's also pacing: Holden's got a knack for long, deliberate builds, and this record has a nice fluidity to it. There are beats, but generally the propulsion is more organic-- ultimately the mix feels more like a krautrock record than something you'd hear in a club. But it is dance music. "The dance you do lying in bed or driving your car or riding the bus is still a dance," Holden says in the liner notes. That's the key. Approach Holden's mix with an open mind, and you might reconsider what's danceable.
