News / / 14.09.12

GUY GERBER

fabric 64 (fabric)

17/20

This is the best CD Fabric have released since Shackleton rearranged our perception of what techno was over a year ago. By no coincidence, that release was also a record full of his own productions deployed in a full length album/mix CD style. However, unlike Shackleton’s unique delve into fresh territory, Israeli Guy Gerber’s 16 productions are less trailblazing and more an acute affirmation of a producer who has been placed in the highest regard by house and techno royalty for well over a decade. This is Gerber’s first commercial mix, and if a decade producing records lauded by everyone from Visionquest, to Sasha, to Ricardo Villalobos has led to this, then we should have been happy to wait. It is a rarity to find a mix CD so voraciously loaded with emotion, soft yearning synth textures and a relentless flow that don’t deviate suddenly or surprise, but yet also keep a richness and depth. New layers are introduced sparingly and subtly, and peak moments are counterbalanced by introspective ones that keep a balance to the whole record. Gerber’s early leanings towards a progressive sound are primarily responsible for mix’s electric continuum, with mid-record standouts coming in the form of his collaborations with Footprintz vocalist Clarian North. Utterly engaging from start to finish.

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Words: Thomas Frost

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