Fabric Presents DJ Tennis

Italian-born DJ Tennis delivered one of the more ambitious entries of the DJ-Kicks series in 2017, largely focusing on ambient techno and IDM for the first disc, then delving into dub techno and Detroit house on the second. His Fabric Presents mix feels a bit more straightforward in comparison, generally sticking to a carefree, groove-friendly mode in line with the tech-house mixes of the original Fabric series, or perhaps even earlier series like United DJs of America. Starting out with a bit of encouraging advice ("Every day, once a day, give yourself a present") over a mix of ambient drift from Fordell Research Unit and complicated breaks from DjRUM, Tennis wastes no time establishing a communal house vibe with a slight psychedelic swirl to it. Most of the mixing is seamless, even when segueing into tracks that are a little different from the rest of the selections, like the Mr. Oizo-esque wonkiness of Klon Dumps "As 2." Paurros "Bubbles" injects a well-timed burst of breakbeat chaos, and the set soon delves into electro-funk with a track from Danny Daze and Vril. "Hello Hello," a garage-y original from Tennis, is upbeat and shimmering, and it slides into Easttowns "Bubblicious," which lives up to its name. An edit of Josh Winks "Higher State of Consciousness" smooths out some of the tracks harsher frequencies, but still succeeds in elevating the mix. DJ Romains "Deep Reaktor (DJ Tennis Edit)" mainly focuses on a Saul Williams sample, then Daskals "Unbalanced" provides one final ecstatic send-off. ~ Paul Simpson