- There's a moment—around about the time Len Faki's remix of Adam Beyer & Alan Fitzpatrick's "Human Reason" drops—where François K's contribution to The Masters Series goes a bit Alice-down-the-rabbit-hole. You're left scratching your head. Where am I? How did I get here? That Faki remix is fairly in-your-face, with kick drums stamping like jackboots and snares building an air of claustrophobia; was it really just an hour ago that we opened with the jazzy sunset house of Mike Huckaby's remix of Jazzanova's "I Human"?
This dichotomy neatly encapsulates why, after more than 35 years as a DJ, François Kevorkian has been able to stay relevant. It was 1975, at the age of 21, when he made the move from France to New York, in an era when the globetrotting DJ was all but unheard of. He became a regular at Studio 54 and The Paradise Garage, and was conveniently placed to make the transition from disco to house music. Whether DJing, remixing or producing, his career has always involved a process of adapting and surviving.
For the past decade or so, Kevorkian's sets have been wrapped in a tougher shell. That's clear to see on his edition of Masters Series. CD1 is the more eclectic of the two, moving from that Jazzanova remix through to the throbbing, analogue house chug of Jeremy Greenspan & Laurie Spiegel's "Drums & Drums & Drums," on to Maceo Plex's dramatic, growling rework of Maetrik's "Walk Alone," and then to an untitled track from Scuba that's all squawking intruder alarm synths and rumbling bass pulses. Scuba's Belgian protégé, Locked Groove, makes an appearance with the engaging acid techno-meets-UKG rhythms of "Dream Within A Dream." Blawan's jackhammer industrial workout "6 to 6 Lick" acts as something of an hors d'oeuvre for the more penetrating sound of CD2.
That side kicks off with the intense, liquid techno of Luca Bacchetti's "Atlantic." Kevorkian introduces some classic-sounding Detroit flavours with Benny Rodrigues' "Nostalgia," before Technasia's jacking, high-stepping "Bastille Days" takes things up a notch. It's propelled towards its apex by UK techno mavens Gary Beck and Stephen Brown and the aforementioned Beyer & Fitzpatrick remix, finally gaining remission through the echo-laden trumpets of Swiss producer Chronophone on the neo-Balearic jam "Eiffel Love." With 31 tracks in two and a half hours, each song is allowed to breathe. But even more than the mix itself, it's the quality of Kevorkian's selections that tell you he's got plenty of miles still left in his tank.
TracklistCD1
01. Jazzanova - I Human feat. Paul Randolph (The Mike Huckaby Jazz Republic Downtempo Mix)
02. François K featuring Terry Burrus - Mystical Lady
03. Anton Kubikov - Chords
04 Daniel Avery - Drone Logic (Factory Floor Remix)
05. Jeremy Greenspan & Laurie Spiegel – Drums & Drums & Drums
06. Detroit Swindle - Creep
07. Tuff City Kids - Begger
08. Maetrik - Walk Alone (Maceo Plex Revenge Mix)
09. Marcus Worgull & Peter Padeike - Salam
10. Nautiluss - Zero Gravity
11. Scuba - Untitled
12. Locked Groove - Dream Within A Dream
13. Echologist - Buzz Factory
14. A Made Up Sound - Sweetback
15. Blawan - 6 to 6 Lick
16. Objekt - Porcupine
CD2
01. Luca Bacchetti - Atlantic
02. Acid Mondays feat. JD73, Shovell The Drum Warrior & Wolfgang Haffner - El Recorrido
03. Michel De Hey vs Rauwkost - Bluetrain
04. Andre Crom & Martin Dawson - Back To The Future feat. Roland Clark (Flashmob Remix)
05. Benny Rodrigues - Nostalgia
06. Technasia - Bastille Days
07. François K - Dark Magic
08. Delano Smith - Inspiration (Reconstruction By Makam)
09. Random Audio - The Model
10. Stephen Brown - Fuego
11. Gary Beck - Askaig
12. Adam Beyer & Alan Fitzpatrick (Len Faki Remix) - Human Reason
13. Alden Tyrell - Tntus
14. Trevino - Forged
15. Chronophone - Eiffel In Love