John Digweed - Global Underground 006: Sydney FLAC

Disk 1 starts off great and climaxes during the mix between "Elements" and "Down the River", which is very well done. Another highlight is "Magic Digital Drum". I am not a fan of the Digweed sound as much as others are, its sort of lacking in variety or energy. It's certainly not one of the best Global Underground, as it is easily outdone by Sasha's and Tenaglia's contributions. I gotta rant for a second here, how does Albion's Air fit in with dark tribal/progressive house? The answer: it doesn't. After thinking about it for a bit, I think I know the problem with this mix. It's track selection. The only songs that are really worth anything are the ones I mention. If it had a better track selection this mix could have been so much more.

Disk 2's highlights obviously include "Stargazer" and "Words (For Love)", and also "Propaganda". But besides those tracks, again we are presented with a rather monotonous barrage of pounding beats. Where is the moodiness, the variety?

The mixing is phenomenal, he layers multiple tracks and mixes in and out like few - scratch that - like no other DJ can. But in the end, its all for naught as the track selection is just plain garbage at times. This is the same problem with Nick Warren's early releases (Prague/Brazil), when you put great songs like "Magic Digital Drum" next to crappy tunes, it makes the crappy songs sound even worse.

I still give it a 4 if for no other reason because "Propaganda" is a badass track.

Just another Digweed GU bomb.

This starts off a bit slow on disk 1 to get you in the mood. Imagine is a great opening track to start you off. From there highlights include Flood before the emortal Elements. If you haven't had the pleasure of hearing this track this would be the CD to get to hear it. This song rocks!! Other highlights on a very smooth first set include Down the River and Slap me Some Skin. Very easy listening.

Disk 2 is the nuts. The last few songs are pretty trancy but up until Words (for love) it is the signs of Digweed again being ahead of the curve. Just nuts early prog and well worth the listen.

Highlights a plenty but check out Rub a Dub. Rocking party beat. Then Release. This absolute rocks before molding into Autobahnana. Lucky enough to have found it on vinyl (limited copies) and I can now mix those freeway sounds into anything I want. This song is nuts!! Driving all the way home. Steel Blue is a great pick to come out of this and this is my pick of the mixes on the CD. Finally Words is just classic and will still rock any room at a party almost 10yrs on, again a must own.

If you don't have this (or any of the other 2 Digweed GUs) really recommend you get it. The man is something else!

I took me a little while to get into this mix, but I think I've finally begun to appreciate. This mix seems very ahead of its time and Digweed is able to throw in so many different elements into this mix that it hard to get bored. Digweed does a great job of establishing the mood of the mix with some more subdued trance tracks at the begining of the mix before moving into more housier territory with excellent tracks like "Element" and "Hong Kong Trash". The first disk keeps building before ending perfectly on the mellowed out trance of "Air". The second disk does a good job of extending the mood established on the first disk but is bogged down by an unusual selection of tracks at the end of the second disc(mainly "Words" and "Keep Hope Alive") that really mess with the flow of the album. Overall, an excellent release from Digweed with some amazing mixing featured throughout. 4 out of 5.