I bought this on the strength of reviews etc and the fact that i liked his from within series with pete namlook.I just dont get this, maybe it is because i am not a dj that i cant appreciate how difficult this was to produce but the cd never stays on for more than about 20 minutes before i give up and go for something a bit more tuneful like black dog or autechre. i may give this a go again in another six months or so and see.

There are two major reasons why I want to dislike this release. Firstly, Hawtin's DE9 mix series has been almost single-handedly responsible for bringing minimal house and techno into the public eye. Prior to this release, the scene was oozing quality rather than churning out quantity. Sadly, and rather inevitably, Hawtin's diehard followers caused the minimal explosion which has (for me) been the death of minimal music. Secondly, though it is undeniably produced with precision and skill, by cutting these tracks into parts and re-splicing them together, Hawtin has lost the depth and feeling that a lot of these tracks had. The intrical ingredients have for the most part gone. For example, the subdued 'ow-oo-ah ah ah' vocal of Lowtec's "10 Strikes To 2001" which made the track so deep, was ignored in favour of the repetitive bass-hook.

However, despite all this, I keep coming back and rediscovering why I love it with each listen. The tracks are hypnotic, sharp and still provide an audio journey worth hearing. It builds wonderfully, from the Bluetrain dubbed-out opening, through the to the massive middle section where Roman Flügel's "Tracks On Delivery" weaves in harmony with Carl Craig's "The Climax". A sheer masterpiece of an album, which for all it's flaws in planning, have produced a mix which will still command respect in many years to come.

Long live minimal techno... ....minimal techno is Dead!

Breathtaking release, and must get for any minimal fans.
Taking tracks from some of the best in the scene and completely recontextualizing them.
maybe even better than the others in the DE9 series.
Its a perfect mix all the way through, locking you into its deep hypnotic grooves.

This is ace - it gets itself into so many wonderful grooves as it rolls along, but you don't get left listening to any one for more than a few seconds at a time. It just evolves organically, working its way through hundreds of beats and sounds for an hour, all the time staying beautifully listenable.