- Hernan Cattaneo, the long haired Argentinean (who coincidently always reminds me of Argentinean footballer Gabriel Batistuta) has been called upon to formulate the next Renaissance Masters Series. If you are reading this then you are obviously intrigued by the Renaissance mixes, and therefore should really be fully aware of what Hernan Cattaneo is capable of. He is a DJ that has never ceased to amaze, and it isn’t that surprising really considering that his home turf is the ever amazing Pacha club in Argentina. He has amazed his countrymen and women for the last few years, and in the last couple of years has impressed people from all around the world. His sound is fresh and diverse, but most of all it fits the mould of the classic Renaissance sound, with a mixture of the epic moments finely blended with a hint of vocals and chunky house moments. It is why a cloud of excitement covered me when I gave these two finely crafted mixes the review treatment.
The beginning moments of disc one have a smooth deep feel to them, with early highlights being the melodic tones and tweaked vocals of ‘In The Air’ by Richard Davies and the smooth rolling baselines and bubbly sounds of Casa flava’s ‘Homa’. The first mix continues to flow very smoothly with ‘Scarpia’ by Alexander Kowalski keeping the beats chugging while the deep house undertones of the opening half of this mix further epitomised by the lovely ‘Honey’ by Bill Makris. Not happy with just this contribution, Bill Makris supplies another absolute belter into the mix with arguably the highlight of the first cd in ‘Dreams’, a uplifting yet silky smooth production filled with warm pads and a smooth yet bouncy baseline. The mix noticeably lifts a gear when the Herbal dub of ‘Symbiosis’ by Matthew Dekay & Grant Dell provides a chunky low end groove, as does the thick deep sounds of Jay Tripwire & Grant Dell in ‘Sio Roast’. Randall Jones’ ‘Cultural Assertion’ is indicative of the solid house music that helps close this first mix, as is the hypnotic 16B mix of ‘Bubblebath’ by Agent 001. The mix into the stunning ‘Aenema’ by The PQM Project is a great highlight to a very silky smooth opening 74 minutes, and a great concluding track that has been working very well for Hernan lately.
From the word go you can tell the 2nd mix is made for a more up tempo experience, with the ever reliable Chab opening the batting with a intriguing vocal experience in ‘Closer To Me’. Wink’s bouncy ‘Oakish’ is smothered stylishly with the accapella from T-Empo’s ‘Fouk’ while the guitar riffs and pounding beats of ‘Underground night Music’ by the 21st Century Planet Smashers keeps the pace progressing nicely in true electro rock style. Hernan Cattaneo then makes his own production dent in the mix, firstly with Dean Coleman in ‘Behind the Music’ and then secondly with a joint remix with Martin Garcia of ‘All I Know’ by Morgan Page, which is brilliantly constructed by rumbling baselines and delicate echoing sound effects. The mix takes a turn to epic town with the brilliant ‘Hazy Way’ by in form Italian producer Alex Dolby, and then the always in form Luke Chable & Ivan Gough join resulting in the pulsating progressive monster, ‘The Sheppard’. There is another taste of Australia in the next track, with 20 year old Steve May delivering the goods with ‘Open Day’, a beautiful amalgamation of magnetic melodies and deep evil baseline. Danny Howells and Stef Vrolijk combine to take the mix into the closing stages with ‘Phono Corono’ slowly mixing into the stunning ‘Central’ by Grand Resonant, a track that is stunning with its bubbly melodies and reverberating sound scapes. This perfectly sets the scene for Wrecked Angle to perform their magic in their twisted breakbeat reworking of the classic ‘Ago of Love’.
A lot can be taken from Hernan’s foray into the Renaissance ranks. Firstly it must be said that Hernan hit the nail closer to the head then Sander Kleinenberg did in his ‘Everybody’ mix. When one thinks of Renaissance one automatically thinks of the classic mixes in the past from the likes of Sasha & Digweed, Dave Seaman, Nigel Dawson and Ian Ossia, and not only the mixes, but the sound and aura that was created over the years with these Renaissance mixes. For me, this mix by Hernan Cattaneo has come close to representing this sound. It would be highly unfair to compare this mix to the classic mixes of the past, or indeed the last few Renaissance mixes, but one thing is almost certain is that if you loved the style and direction that Renaissance has taken over the years, then it is probably advisable the you direct yourself towards this mix. There is never a dull moment in the entire compilation, and Hernan should be commended for retaining both the Renaissance feel and the elements that have seen him become one of the finest progressive DJ’s in the world today.
Tracklisting
Disc One
1. ‘Ayahuaska (Reprise) - Darko & Gainer
2. ‘In The Air’ - Richard Davies
3. ‘Time To Kill’ - Pams Magic Tractor (DJ Harvey Remix)
4. ‘Homa’ – Casa Flava
5. ‘Scarpia’ - Alexander Kowalski
6. ‘Honey’ - Bill Makris
7. ‘Lost In Power’ (Dub) – Rolasoul
8. ‘Dreams’ - Bill Makris
9. ‘Symbiosis’ (Herbal Dub)- Matthew Dekay & Alvredo
10. ‘Slo’ Roast’ - Jay Tripwire & Grant Dell
11. ‘Cultural Assertion’ – Tiger Corps present Randall Jones
12. ‘Bubblebath’ (16b Remix) - Agent 001
13. ‘Aenema’ - The PQM Project
Disc Two
1. ‘Closer To Me’ – Chab featuring JD Davis
2. ‘Oakish’ – Wink c/w ‘Fouk’ - T-Empo (Acapella)
3. ‘Underground Night Music’ (Dub) – Amillionsons presents 21st Century Planet Smashers
4. ‘Behind The Music’ - Hernan Cattaneo & Dean Coleman
5. ‘All I Know’ (Hernan Cattaneo & Martin Garcia Remix) - Morgan Page & Gregory Shiff featuring Astrid Suryato
6. ‘Hazy Way’ - Alex Dolby
7. ‘The Sheppard’ – Luke Chable presents Quest
8. ‘Open Day’ (Original Mix) - Steve May
9. ‘Phono Corono’ (16 Bit Lolita remix) - Danny Howells & Stef Vrolijk
10. ‘Central’ - Grand Resonant
11. ‘Age of Love’ (Wrecked Angle Remix) - Age of Love