Balance 008 mixed by Desyn Masiello

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  • It’s safe to say that the popularity of London based DJ Desyn Masiello is going through the roof at the moment. It’s quite funny though, because Desyn has been around the scene for quite a while now, developing his love for house music in the early 90’s. It has only been the last 2 or so years where his impact has been made, perhaps starting with his Essential Mix in 2004 and of course his very people friendly Bedrock Original Series Mix. This time, Desyn has been called up to mix Balance 008, and his job is to continue the fantastic run of releases for this Australian based mix compilation. Unlike the Bedrock mix, this is the first time Desyn has released a double mix album, and he uses both discs to full effect to deliver a very tasty album. The first half of this first disc is a real highlight, beginning with the smooth opening tune, ‘Mbira’ by Will Saul. The flow is quite seductive here with smooth productions by New Ordinament and Clashing Egos Featuring Jelle Paulusma, with the latter featuring a very tasteful bouncing bassline and upbeat drums. ‘Love Crisis’ by Williams is perhaps a highlight tune of the mix, using some beautiful low end riffs and some smooth atmospheric surroundings. Chelonis Jones gets into the act with his smooth house tones of ‘One on One’ while Babak Shayan delivers a tasty treat with ‘Flowers’, a production that also features a hint of Depeche Mode’s classic ‘Blasphemous Rumours’. Rene Amesz and then Mark Clement take the mix up a notch with some chunkier house sounds while the Dub of ‘Our Lips Are Sealed’ showcases the more uplifting sounds of his repertoire as smooth high pitched pads work their way alongside a smooth and funky bassline. New Ordinament once again feature with a stunning production full of retro synths and a driving vigor to it. Soulsearcher’s massive ‘Can’t Get Enough’ gets a touch up by the talented Derek Howells who delivers a quirky twisted reworking. The Idiots take the pace down a notch with a smooth bassline driven journey while Chris Lake ends the piece with an uplifting piano ridden anthem in ‘Piano Tool’. The 2nd mix starts off with The Orbital’s classic ‘Halcyon + On + On’, a track that defies the ageing process with its beautiful aura. Spirals’ ‘X’ ensures that this mix is quick to get going with an uplifting treat early in the piece. It is then followed by the stunning ‘Blue’ by Rozzo, a track that is sure to tear the roof off any club worldwide. The vocals of Moloko are combined with the sounds of Killing Joke in a daring but brilliant combo by Desyn, while the deep chunky basslines continue with the sexy ‘Crush the Bits’. Dealer's Choice explode onto the scene with ‘Bomb The Place’, another stunning production that adds to the brilliance of this 2nd disc so far. There is a subtle lift in the pace with tracks by WiSE and then Hong Kong Micros as Desyn starts thrash out some peak time house, a fact emphasised by the very large Paul Rincon Remix of Coburn’s ‘We Interrupt this Program’. Ramsay unleash one for the ladies in the very funky ‘Dirty Delicious’, and that’s not all in this department as Joey Negro comes to the table with his rather impressive dub of ‘Make A Move On Me’. Desyn now starts to get a little nastier as he puts Daisuke Matsuska’s ‘Asian Blue Rose’ deep in the mix, and then follows this up with the twisted MFA remix of Ellen Allien’s ‘Magma’. It’s left to Tim Paris to close things off with his simply breathtaking remix of Karu in what is a riveting way to end this brilliant mix off. I’ll be honest and say that I thought Desyn’s Bedrock mix was one that gradually tired with time, slowly losing my interest as the months went on, but with this mix, I think he has gone the other way. You can tell a lot of thought has gone into this mix, and the flow and directions of both discs show this. There is something quite seductive about Desyn’s style, something that almost makes his music exclusively suited to the club atmosphere. It is this mix however, that changes that, making him not only a fantastic live DJ, but now making him one of the quality DJ’s to mix a quality compilation. But then again, what else would you expect from this Balance series and a DJ who continues to show why he is one of the hottest talents around.
RA