Artist: Dave Seaman
Title: Renaissance Presents: The Masters Series Volume 7
Label: Renaissance Recordings
By: Jason Calvert | 24 April 2006
Tracklist:

• Disk 1
• Disk 2

1. Charlie May - Seal Clubbing (Sasha Mix)
2. Buick Project - Lumiere
3. Oliver Moldan Presents Prawler - Phat Laces
4. Thievery Corporation Feat David Byrne - The Heart's A Lonely Hunter
5. Slacker - Memory Man
6. Skystate - Soundflower One
7. Hawaii - Pure (Janicki Mix)
8. Nufrequency - Buy Me (Dub Mix)
9. Chab - Sunrise
10. Phonique Feat Erland Øye - For The Time Being (Montero 'Exclusive Masters' Dub)
11. Luke Dzierzek - Echo (John Dahlback Mix)
12. Matthew Dekay & Roob V - 2 Da Groove
13. Gabriel & Dresden Feat Molly – Tracking Treasure Down (Group Therapy Mix)

1. Paradise Soul - Spirit of the Turning Tables (Part One)
2. Luke Dzierzek & Nick Liousias Present Fling - Randoms
3. Killahurtz - Don't Walk Away
4. Suicide Sports Club - I Don't Know (Luke Dzierzek Mix)
5. Sean Quinn & Andy Page - SQAP
6. Sultan & Ned Shepard Feat Stereomovers – Connected (Dub)
7. 16 Bit Lolitas - Sedna
8. Chris Lake – Hype
   King Unique – Flashing Lights (Acapella)
9. Matt Rowan & Jaytech - Tomorrow
10. Bedrock - Santiago (Group Therapy Mix)
11. Shiloh - Dream On (Luke Chable Mix)
12. Guy Gerber – Stoppage Time (Osamu M Emagine Mix)

Dave Seaman "Renaissance Presents: The Masters Series Volume 7"

The Masters Series. Doesn't the title just say it all? Dave Seaman has truly earned his reputation as a master in the electronic scene. From being the editor of Mixmag, to founding the ever consistent Audio Therapy label, to his work on the Group Therapy project, and of course probably what he is best known for, throwing down a great DJ set. The Masters Series is easily one of the most renowned compilation series of the scene, and hence Seaman has taken the time to select some amazing tracks which should hopefully appeal to even the most discerning listener.

Kicking off on an excellent note, we are graced with the work from an amazingly talented man whose name should be familiar to anyone who listens to progressive. Sasha's rework of Charlie May's "Seal Clubbing" is nothing short of breathtaking. But wasting no time, the mood swings into a darker vibe, with the minimalistic yet groovy rumblings of Nic Fanciulli and Andy Chatterley under their Buick Project guise on "Lumiere". Continuing down this path is the extremely tight "Phat Laces" from Oliver Moldan. The track has a much sharper edge than a lot of his other work, and hence I felt it was one of his much stronger works to date.

An interesting addition is "The Heart's A Lonely Hunter" from Theivery Corporation. Seaman's skills shine as he pulls off the transition into the laid back housey feel of a track which many other progressive DJs wouldn't have dared even touch. Slacker then makes his way in, picking up the pace quite substantially with the warped sounds of "Memory Man". By now the CD is really getting stuck into the groove, with tracks such as "Sunflower One" and "Pure". One of the standout tracks on the first CD however comes from Nufrequency on a track titled "Buy Me". Dirty, electro, and banging, seem to be three words at the moment which make for a sure-fire club hit. And this track is all of that, and more. Things start heating up a lot, but then chill back down for the familiar sound of Chab on "Sunrise", which was for me one of the highlights of his album "Dub, Edits, & Whiskey Coke".

We're lucky enough to be graced with an exclusive and seriously driving mix of Phonique & Erland Oye's "For The Time Being". Yet again the mood is shifted as Dahlback's simple yet successful mix of Luke Dzierzek's hit "Echo". As the first CD came to a close, I found some of the style changes to be a little harsh, particularly due to the inclusion of the slightly below-par "Tracking Treasure Down", a track by Gabriel & Dresden, with Group Therapy on the remix.

Again on CD 2 the introduction had me glued intently. Readers of my past reviews may have picked up the soft spot I have for the old school flavour of the work of Paradise Soul, and "Spirit Of The Turning Tables" certainly captures that essence. Things start getting tougher when Dzierzek drops his trademark chunky electro stabs on "Randoms". Whilst it may not be the deepest track on the compilation, it provides a nice bridge into "Don't Walk Away", the recently reviewed Killahurtz vs Rekelektric bomb, packed with its trippy synth line and deep bass rumblings.

Seaman seems to really be digging Dzierzek's sound, with his remix of SSC's massive "I Don't Know" being the third time his name pops up on the compilation! He gets crazy with his trademark sound, but as a remix of SSC, I'm not sure I was really feeling it. But straight from this, the feel drops to a much deeper vibe as Seaman showcases some quality Aussie talent in the form of Sean Quinn and Andy Page. "Sqap" boasts that dark and dirty feel so many Aussies are renowned for, and throws around squelching synths with enough force to cause some serious damage!

16 Bit Lolitas work their magic before Seaman takes the time to show off some more of his skill on a hot little mashup between Chris Lake and King Unique which works absolutely brilliantly. Rowan and Jaytech keep the feel going on "Tomorrow", a track which truly oozes with emotion, and just seems to have been executed with perfect engineering. I was truly impressed by this one. Seaman really managed to work a storm up at this section of the CD, as he goes from strength to strength with what I could easily call one of the most forward thinking remixes of "Santiago" out there. Group Therapy weren't scared to take Bedrock's slammer down an uplifting route, and if anybody was to tell me that an uplifting interpretation of "Santiago" would work, I wouldn't have believed them. This one just has to be heard for yourself.

From here Seaman starts winding things down, with the intricate working of Luke Chable on Shiloh's "Dream On", then closing up with Osamu M's conservative remix of Guy Gerber's "Stoppage Time". While it may not be as unique and forward thinking as the Original Mix, it certainly is much more emotional than the original, and it serves well as the closing track of the compilation. It provides a classy ending as the chordal progression hits, and certainly evokes a sense of sadness that it is all over.

The track selection on this compilation is quite amazing, and there are many gems to be found, especially throughout the second CD. This made up for the times where I felt the changes in style were slightly harsh and the flow wasn't as smooth as it could have been. But Seaman does redeem himself at every other point, particularly from track eight onwards on disc 2. If Hernan's Masters Series CDs did it for you, then you are well advised to give this one a go. And for everyone else, you're sure to discover some amazing tracks you aren't familiar with on here, so hopefully it will be enjoyed by people on all sides of the spectrum.