Pangaea
Fabriclive 73
Release Date: Jan 21, 2014
Genre(s): Electronic, Garage, Club/Dance, Dubstep
Record label: Fabric
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Album Review: Fabriclive 73 by Pangaea
Excellent, Based on 4 Critics
Based on rating 4.0/5
Of the three Hessle Audio founders, Kevin McAuley is the quiet one. As a DJ he's often overshadowed by Ben UFO, and his productions are less recognizable than Pearson Sound's, even if they do a better job at synthesizing disparate ideas into wot-do-u-call-it club jams. Pillaging grime as much as techno, his work is defined by its assertive syncopation.
Based on rating 7.7/10
Let's get this out of the way nice and early: Kevin McAuley is the least well-known member of Hessle Audio. He may well be the most idiosyncratic man operating in a trio that hardly prides itself on taking route one, something of a bellwether for the label's more esoteric tendencies. Short of the lung-busting run undertaken by Pearson Sound (née Ramadanman) across 2010, and without the worldie acclaim lavished upon Ben UFO for his ability to satiate crowds of thousands with unheralded obscurities, McAuley has just never had a major moment.
Opinion: Excellent
The UK's electronic music scene has steadily shot off on tangents all of its own; it's one of the more divisive subjects about which anybody can have an opinion. Entire movements spring up and disappear overnight, the level of knowledge assumed in audiences is often way beyond the pale, and even the slightest aesthetic shift by an artist that would seem of negligible importance to the layman can hastily launch the itchy typing fingers of the opinionated hardcore listener legions. As a focal point, the parallel Fabric and Fabriclive series have long served as both barometers and entry points for club music's restless self-re-evaluation.
Opinion: Very Good
In short: this is a techno mix – a really good one. In slightly less short: you know you’ll get quality with the Hessle Audio boys. You know that all three are skilled DJs, and the mixing on this is really in the absolute top rank – inspired and creative blends, and frequently so subtly done that you’ll find yourself wanting to rewind to see where the shift you’ve just noticed actually took place.
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