PA01:Trust The DJ

Phil Asher's first Trust the DJ set nearly rivals Alex Attias' The Selector Series, Vol. 1 as the best representation of West London's broken beat movement, circa 2002. The broken beat tracks that Asher highlights here are the kind that flirt with downtempo and deep house -- as opposed to the techno and electro-informed productions kicked out by the likes of Colin Lindo's Nubian Mindz and several others. There's no doubting Asher's mixing skills. What this comes down to are the selections and the sequencing, both of which are in fine form. If there's anything about this mix that should be applauded, it's that it ably demonstrates broken beat's versatility. Asher has no trouble fitting Isolee's bonkers microhouse gem "Beau Mot Plage" between Opaque's mix of Mark de Clive-Lowe's "Move on Up" and Nathan Haines' "Earth Is the Place." A wild ragga/Afro-beat hybrid (Afronaught's "Work It"); a hyperactive, but still faithful, cover of an Eighties Ladies rare-groove classic (BB Boogie's "Tell Him"); and a riptide of projectile percussion, synths, and horns (Seiji's "Second Nature") all have a place. The energy level is kept high throughout, making it all but impossible to stay in one place while listening to this disc. ~ Andy Kellman