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Seth Troxler DJ Kicks !K7

16.10.15

It took Seth Troxler one take, a single take, to complete his curation for 2015’s final DJ Kicks compilation. You could argue that the speed, almost flippancy, of its creation is testament to the selector’s self-endorsed pluckiness.

Regardless of intention, or lack thereof, Troxler’s contribution is an imperative inclusion to the series. The whole thing haemorrhages delicacy and elegance. It’s the closest you’ll get to having the DJ breezily sweep through songs as if he was lounging on your sofa. And while it initially presents itself as a set teemed with clashes and irregularities, Troxler maintains a dexterous control between blends.

As he’s ascertained in interviews, it’s a very honest collection. Tuskegee Music and Soft Touch label’s alumni emerge alongside time-honoured originators such as Derrick May, Mood II Swing and Byron Stingily. It strides with a customary Troxler chutzpah, beginning with intimate ease and elevating to a state of salacious sleaze. Separately, every track stands up, from Phil Pharnell’s edit of Herbert’s Suddenly to Sweet Pussy Pauline’s vocal rounds on Dean Street Crew’s The Credit Card. Together, Troxler forges a loose narrative, subtly sardonic and infinitely aware of itself. It certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but as Troxler attests himself, “It’s good music that works to listen to at any time.”