DJ Rolando - From There To Here And Now

If there is one house music DJ/producer active in the current era who epitomizes the true spirit of "Underground Dance Music" (its very essence, in fact), it can be no other than DJ Rolando. His two mixes for the U.K.'s venerable NRK Music, "Nite:Life 16" (2003) and now this double-header "From There To Here And Now", instantly define what underground music is, should be, and will always be measured against: no-nonsense, rare, but essential tracks played solely for the love of dance music. No lights, no smoke, no fancy, f**king Champagne (to paraphrase Peace Division), just durable beats, solid grooves, and great music that sweeps away the contrived boundaries prescribed by the so-called great (wo)men of mainstream popular music. On CD 1, Rolando's choice of tracks hews closely to the middleweight tech house formula laid down in Nite:Grooves 16 but expands well beyond its horizons to deliver a breathlessly danceable, tonally obscure, but thematically-consistent whole. His eclecticism takes us into distinctly non-obvious territory: Trackheadz' "My Love" and Âme's "Basic Track", for instance, do not hail from the most accessible parts of these artists' repertoire, while the Ciafone Dub Mix of "No More Dating DJs" by Nick Holder feat. Jemeni twists this erstwhile tasty number into something barely recognizable by its Deep House fans. And yet, in Rolando's hands, tracks that seem incongruous and dissonant at the micro level blend into a surprisingly coherent whole that serves its purpose brilliantly. To analyze these mixes track by track would do little justice here; suffice it to say that the breathless pace of CD 1 gives way to a more meditative, Deep House, after-party sound on CD 2. Of particular note on the second disc is Tokyo Black Star's exquisite "Black Star", which uses spoken lyrics by Rich Medina to brilliant effect. But the best advice is simply to advocate clearing out that long-forgotten basement, installing the odd lighting fixture, putting Rolando on deck, and seriously getting down.