Fabric 31 : Mixed By Marco Carola

Marco Carola's contribution to the Fabric DJ mix series is so consistent in texture and so seamlessly beat-matched that the transitions between tracks are sometimes almost impossible to discern -- a tendency that is exacerbated by Carola's occasional practice of overlapping tracks for a minute or more to disguise the transitions even further. Luckily, his signature sound is one that bears up well under long exposure: a quirky, almost pointillistic array of glitchy beats and bleepy melodies built from notes that fly around like tiny lightning bugs. Impressively, Carola is able to maintain a highly distinctive sound while mixing a program consisting entirely of other people's music; if a few tracks are clunkers, it was inevitable with a program this subtly eclectic. The album opens promisingly with the off-kilter swing of Matt John's "IQ," which is followed by the sonically and texturally similar "Eclat and Prudo (Alfa Romeo Remix)" by Erikotanabe. On Fusiphorm's "I Am...You! (Someone Else Remix)" and Audio Werner's conga-driven "Onandon," Carola displays a penchant for broken-up, dubwise vocals, and on Ernie's "Escarabajos" he takes a Latin groove and breaks it down into glitchy funk. The album ends strongly with "Plunder" by Alex Smoke, a quietly crazy excursion into minimalist techno. Recommended. ~ Rick Anderson