Various Artists - Sven Vath in the mix – The Sound of the 17th Season

For 17 memorable seasons now Sven Väth’s Cocoon night has been the first and last port of call for techno fans on the White Isle. Now, as another crazy year comes to a close, the musical highlights from 2016 get mixed up then laid down across two great discs by the boss himself, Sven Väth.

Disc one starts with some atmospheric summery sounds and pleasing bird calls stitched to a deep house groove. From there a diverse selection of artists are all called upon from the European likes of Ripperton and C-Rau to two very different Detroit techno legends in Omar S and Eddie Fowlkes.

Staying warm and inviting throughout, and never straying from a chunky techno come house groove, the moods range from woozy and laid back to minimal and hypnotic. CD1 closes down with a fine brace of tracks, one a standout remix by Roman Flügel of OFF feat. Sven Väth’s ‘Electrica Salsa’ and the other a soothing cut by Pantha du Prince. The  mixing, of course, is seamless, and the selections represent the sound of the early hours at Amnesia, when people are starting to get loose and before the craziness kicks in.

That comes much more on CD2, which sweeps and swirls through some quirky and curious techno selections. Still comparatively stripped back compared to some years, this classy mix calls on contemporary tastemakers like Levon Vincent, Redshape, Floorplan and Johannes Heil for its thrills. And there are many, as forceful and heavyweight cuts rub up next to fantastically fun and loopy jams that bring a real sense of party to the mix. Twisting through acid jams and dubbed out head tracks, the whole thing warps up on the graceful melodic sounds of Konstantin Sibold and leaves you begging for more. 

Once again this fine compilation is the perfect reminder of what makes Sven Väth, Cocoon and Mondays at Amnesia so influential in the techno world.

Tracklist:

CD1
Harald Björk – Sabor Latino (Mix of Life version)
Ripperton – Ordine Gigante
Rhauder & Paul St. Hilaire – Molekule 
Love Over Entropy – Sea
Kamran Sadeghi – Flow me
Alex & Digby – Angolan Rumble
Traumer – Ijah
Omar S – Heard’chew single ft. John FM
Eddie Fowlkes – Oriane
C-Rau – Sheeos Unn
OFF feat. Sven Väth – Electrica Salsa (Roman Flügel Remix)
Pantha du Prince – Dream Yourself Awake

CD2
Levon Vincent – A-1 Novel Sound 12
Redshape  – Tel Aviv
Hot City Orchestra – Nine (André Galluzzi Remix)
Adam Port – Sonnenfinsternis
Damian Lazarus – Trouble at the Seance (Kölsch Remix)
Margot – Er Suonone
Danny Daze – Swim
Sven Väth – Robot (Kölsch Remix)
Slam – Take You There ft. Mr. V
Floorplan – Spin
Bart Skills – Fifth Gear
Johannes Heil – By Night Part One
Emmanuel – Entroterra
Konstantin Sibold – Mutte