Artist: James Zabiela
Title: GTDJ001
Label: Groovetech
By: Simon Jones | 11 July 2002
Tracklist:

1. Erotic Sardines - Creating Living (Prime Time TV Mix)
2. Vinyl Line - West Station
3. Wally Lopez & Dr Kucho - Devil Square
4. Sound Alliance - From Home
5. Red Star - Pretender (Dub)
6. Sound Alliance - The Hit (Hexadecimal Mix)
7. Disco Assassins - Stoned
8. Primary Sequence - Strange Things Happening
9. Tiny Elvis - Tempted (Tiny Elvis Dub)
10. Dan Goodall - Trippid
11. Monika Kruse @ Voodooamt - Route 27 (Thomas Schumacher Remix)
12. Royksopp - Remind Me (Zabielas Ingeborg Remix)

James Zabiela "GTDJ001"

Groovetech is a radio station with a difference. From studios in London and Seattle they have shaped a reputation of broadcasting some of the most diverse sounding electronic music, with regular shows from some of the scene's big names, in addition to some lesser known, up and coming talent. In additon to this thsy have a record store with warehouses at both cities, selling a vast selection of vinyl to djs and music lovers alike.

James Zabiela. Here is someone who knows about diverse. Someone who fuses genres into one blend of sound that will draw you in and rock you to your core. A DJ who isn't restricted by boundaries, and constantly pushes the envelope forward on his 'Excession' show which broadcasts twice monthly on Groovetech London. Little wonder then, that Groovetech have chosen for James to kick off their new series, aiming to bring the sounds that broadcast via the internet to the mainstream public, whilst offering some rather diverse and innovative music unlike any on the market to the public. And as mentioned before, if there's one man who personifies diversity it is James Zabiela, so this is the perfect way to kick off this new mix series.

James starts off slow with some dubbed out electro and warm sounding basslines of tracks such as the documentary-esque vocal of Creating Living by Erotic Sardines eases us in, flowing forward until the guitar lick of 'From Home' by up and coming Nottingham production ouftit, Sound Alliance changes direction and James slips in some of his now trademark scratching over Red Star's 'Pretender'. We explore the deeper techier sound next culminating in 'Tempted' by Tiny Elvis. It's not a track you may have heard of, but to those in the know it does the business, as James would lay testment to.

As 'Trippid', a track by a longtime friend of James, Dan Goodall weaves it's way through the speakers, it's breakdown lowering the momentum gradually before the techno riff of 'Route 27' by Monika Kruse once again takes the mix off it's set course into a different direction once more, before slowly giving way to the sound of traffic, and soft percussive claps, before the main vocal of Royksopp's Remind Me emerges from within a subtle electro twinged soundscape, one that has been crafted with sublime execution by James himself into a superb remix. Proof that it's not only the knobs of dj mixer he can work to great effect, but studio equipment too. A stunning end to a perfectly executed mix.

Following on from a superb Essential Mix earlier in the year and several awards, it's plain to see how far James Zabiela has evolved from his days of winning Muzik's Bedroom Bedlam, and like him, Groovetech continues to thrive, thus proving the perfect partnership to deliver his unique sound to the masses. One would only hope they decide to invite him back for a further volume in the future.