Pole Folder & CP - Dust
Audio clip here
Bedrock Records
Catalogue Number: BEDMMII 02
Mixes
Pole Folder & CP Club Mix
Fretwell Remix
James Zabiela's Zakota Bar Slam
Fretwell Dub
During the summer of 2002, John Digweed's MMII CD was on constant repeat in my CD Player.
It was a CD that laid testament to the fact that John was still a special DJ. Taking tunes
that had evaded the mainstream and moulding them into a cohesive whole, that was for me at
least, the best CD I'd heard that year by some distance. And yet one thing I'd neglected
to do was to sit down with my headphones and give the mix the once through with my undivided
attention. And so, after several days, and a number of listens, with no pressing matter to
attend to I finally got out my sennheisers, sat down and put MMII into the player. I
listened through the opening, Pollon's 'Lonely Planet'. A track which recalls years gone by,
built around a heavily pulsing synth, ready to enjoy the next hour. However, when I was aware
that things were mixing down and out of 'Lonely Planet' into the second track on the album,
something happened.
The whole problem can be stated quite simply by asking, 'Is there a meaning to music?' My answer
would be, 'Yes.' And 'Can you state in so many words what the meaning is?' My answer to that
would be, 'No.' -Aaron Copland
Amongst fans of John Digweed, there is a concept known affectionately as the 'vortex'.
Usually found on the dancefloor at about 3am it is the period in which John's music and
the way he has programmed his set, has you so hooked that all ideas of time disappear and
you are but totally entranced in the music and the moment. What I experienced as Pole
Folder & CP's 'Dust' crept into MMII was something that reminded me of this, yet it was
different somehow. A distant relative on the other end of the spectrum perhaps. 'Dust'
is a tune built around a stunning vocal, and yet it is a measure of the track's genius
that it doesn't rely on this vocal to carry the piece by itself. The first thing that
struck me listening to it, was the real warmth and etherality of the pads. The tight
kick drums of the breakbeat ride the groove with ease, almost floating. The harmonies
converge as the track builds towards its climax, which is preceded by an emotive break
where the vocal takes centre stage before all the elements combine to smash the listener
into an emotional submission. The track still overhwlems me to this day. It's become such
a favourite that I dare not listen to it too often, such is my fear that it'll lose some
of its magic.
My prayers were answered in November 2002 when Bedrock released 'Dust' along with 5 other
mixes (see above). I immediately purchased the three discs and subsequently enjoyed playing
it in one of its many incarnations over the next year.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it changed the way I viewed electronic music,
and the progressive genre that had really taken off by that point, in particular. It
laid a pretty outrageous high, as a benchmark by which I subsequently measure all tracks
I now hear. Very few have come close.
'Dust' is still available on vinyl, and has recently become available as a digital download
from The Bedrock website.
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Review by Oli
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