C.J. Bolland* - DJ-Kicks

I was listening to this all the time when it was just out and what i can tell... This is one of my favourite techno mixes ever! It is recorded live and the mixing is not so tight, but listening to the mix you almost can feel the dancefloor magic CJ Bolland is well known for. Most of the tunes are from high-caliber techno producers. For me it is definately a classic mix here.

I was quite disappointed in this release. Many of the records are hokey "Eurotechno" from the early to mid 90's that have dated very poorly. You know, lots of "three note synth wash" sorts of riffs over generic 909 kicks - just way too much filler on here.

Surprisingly not as eclectic as his proper albums, CJ Bolland's slice of the DJ Kicks pie shimmies along to a unified, pelting 4/4 Belgian techno soundtrack. Since this was the first in the much revered line of DJ Kicks mix albums, a modest amount of pressure was on Bolland, yet he rarely succumbs to trying to please too many people. The beats are kept in check, the eye towards the underground releases is focused, and DJ twiddling rarely goes overboard. Bolland's fondness for transforming basic rhythms into complex compositions, however, is disappointingly low. Other than a few old-school squelches (Damon Wild & Tim Taylor's "Bang the Acid") and effective buildups (Nexus 6's "AB-Chic"), the mix tends to lead to a layered climax that never happens. A very danceable, yet somewhat shy, first peek into the record collection of one of techno's most prominent musicians.