Mixed Emotions: Montreal Mix Sessions Vol. 5

Tiga's Mixed Emotions: Montreal Mix Sessions, Vol. 5 is a pensive brew of techno and house, new and old. The first of the two discs breaks out with the formidable minimal techno of Elias and Stewart S. Walker. The latter's "Cleopatra's Needle" is a driving force that sends the entire mix in an upward motion. Where most dance mixes suffer from the inclusion of cheery, trancy tracks to boost sales, Tiga stays true to form and pulls out only the best from his record crate. He is able to seamlessly switch gears from industrial-electro by Tomba Vira into DJ Hell's laid-back tech beats in just a few links. Not only does he exhibit a wonderful range of dancefloor tastes, but his ability to patch them together so succinctly is a testament to Tiga's success as one of Canada's and the world's best mixers. Though Mixed Emotions' first disc is wonderful, the true gem is the second disc of electro-funk. Featuring a pair of tracks from I-F, including the dancefloor hit "Space Invaders Are Smoking Grass," and more from Stewart Walker and Bergheim34, Mixed Emotions' second side is an absolutely brilliant mix of drop-beat minimal electro. Though all of the tracks were recorded in the latter part of the '90s, it's impossible not to feel nostalgic for the '80s. Reminiscent of old synth-pop from Human League and John Foxx, tracks like FPU's "Crockett's Theme" and DMX Krew's "End of the Night" extend the disc's reach way back and act as a definitive reminder of where this music began. ~ Ken Taylor