Compilation Review: ‘The Masters Series – François K’ (Renaissance)

REN_FK_1000x1000px

★★★★☆

Must…not…use…the…phrase…musical journey… However, both discs start with hall-of-famer François K asking you whether you are dancing comfortably with the offer of poolside house and funky grins, before progressing into barbarian techno seeing the spinner turn from easygoing accommodator to sinew-snapping overlord. Kevorkian is chancing his arm to be honest; his ears have obviously never left the streets, yet you’d hazard a guess that not everyone who starts with him stays to the end.

Seeing the sun dip until eyeballing its fiery fury quickly dissolves the homely introductions, Daniel Avery & Factory Floor herald disc one’s change in pressure with eerily wound synth lines and acid rebounds. The party is both over and just warming up, heading steadily deeper and darker despite the upbeat resistance of Detroit Swindle, and Kevorkian holding his nerve in the furnace’s ensuing heat with Marcus Worgull & Peter Padeike’s “Salam.” Scuba starts to blister the dance floor with drawn out domination, and to follow this with Locked Groove’s Balearic soother “Dream Within a Dream” is like an ice lolly to a sore throat. A Made Up Sound and Blawan then replace the tranquilizer with raging hot chillies.

Assured assertion and funky, tropical seasoning has the good times flowing through Michel de Hey & Flashmob. Sunshine streaks from disc two’s every corner until again, François’ predatory hunting and digital deconstruction starts to storm the place, letting rumbling techno shot-callers Stephen Brown and Gary Beck shear you with their hi-hats.

File under: Technasia, Nautiluss, Alden Tyrell