Depending on your point of view, James Zabilea can be an equally fascinating and frustrating DJ to follow in the electronic scene. Partly due to his quick rise to prominence after support from Sasha, and also due to his young age, it has been easy to watch him publicly explore and mature in his craft. As interesting as that has largely been, it's also been at the expense of focus. He has dabbled in and championed styles that are a bit all over the map in his musical journey over the past few years. Which is fine for the more egalitarian listener, but it has also left others alienated.
In some respects, that storied past of styles is what makes his latest mix set for Renaissance: The Masters Series such a triumph. Not only does it more ably gel some of those disparate past styles, but shows that as he continually distills some of those interests, it can - with some attention and maturity - result in something really unique and rewarding. And ironically, a bit more universal.
The two-disc set is built on the up-and-down approach, with the first disc being a slower, more after hours affair, and the the second disc approaching something more typical of a standard club night. Although this approach isn't completely unique, it's underused, in my opinion. The split in styles offers a chance to experience a DJ in different ways from the normal club atmosphere. And at the same time, trying to keep the two halves from not being completely miles apart from each other is a challenge worth accepting.
Disc One is literally labeled as "Down", so it's meant to be a separate experience, on its own, and not just a lighter buildup to a standard club mix. In addition to simply mixing interesting tracks, Zabiela carried around a digital recorder with him through streets, shops and on travels, in order to capture ambient city life. This is mixed in with the music to nice effect, and gives the disc an added dimension of sound - and perhaps even life - that lets it rise above being just a down-tempo mix. The only other created element includes some occasional spoken-word snippets recorded just for the mix. Although a touch out of place (they could have been left off, to little objection here) they are brief and not overly distracting.
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