Some kind of impressionistic stance runs through the music and persona of Vakula. His releases on Quintessentials, Uzuri and Meakusma all shy away from explicit statement and subtly paint out patterns, textures and beats that are deceptively simple, but yet aim to arrive at the heart of any electronic music dancefloor. His take on house music is heavily influenced by the rich history of the genre, with subtle jazz influences floating about and gentle voices pulsing you on. There's more going on beneath the surface though, as Vakula brilliantly uses and abuses the expectation pattern of his audience and twists things around, almost inaudibly. This mix takes the same path and sees Vakula mixing a selection of recent highlights from some of the more adventurous house music producers. Tin Man's brilliant Wasteland track comes in as the second record here and it sets the mood perfectly for what is to come. This 'Narcotic House' masterpiece (where's the time that Chain Reaction releases were depicted as 'Heroin House') twists open the set with its ambiguous 'just relax man' vocal. "Just relax man, I'll get you in the end" Vakula seems to say and he achieves brilliantly.
As a special extra, Vakula has come up with a mix of unreleased tracks all produced by himself. Notably more upbeat than the first mix, the same aesthetic applies to it though. Slowly seductive, pristine tracks shuffle in and out of focus. A distinct eclecticism runs through it all, with the voices used, on the one hand, echoing his influences and, on the other hand, giving the mix a strange dislocated multicultural feel.
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