The iconic album series Back to Mine returns in 2019, to mark it's 20th anniversary, with the indomitable Nightmares on Wax, to share his personal collection of music for after hours grooving. The series was renowned for its eclectic selection and selectors which includes some of the biggest names in electronic and pop music, from the likes of Faithless to Pet Shop Boys, Groove Armada to New Order. Building on Back To Mine's heritage for quality this edition comes as limited edition heavyweight vinyl and extra thick cardboard sleeve with full coloured bespoke artwork, commissioned from illustrator Rich Fairhead, depicting the artist's influences along side personal sleeve notes form Nightmares On Wax.
Some might find it ironic that the Back To Mine phenomenon was kicked off by two of England's most crowd pleasing trance DJs, Dave Seaman and Nick Warren. But perhaps it is obvious that the 24hour party culture of the UK would produce the most stirring of come-down music since it is clearly the other side of the ecstacy coin. Seaman starts with composer Craig Armstrong's sweeping version of "Weather Storm", a cut he first created with England's almighty chill deities, Massive Attack. Downtempo figureheads dominate much of the mix, with Kruder & Dorfmeister's bubbling dub of Depeche Mode's "Useless" rising mightily from the beatless soundscape of Global Communication's "Epsilon Phase"…
Most entries in the Back to Mine series allow the artists to investigate their wide but dabbling tastes in influences - a bit of dance, a bit of alternative, some roots in '60s pop or soul perhaps, and maybe a stray nugget from something obscure like Krautrock or dub or rockabilly. The other volumes usually come from true DJs or, rarely, those with something special to say. Regardless of whether you enjoy Röyksopp's vision of polished downbeat pop, the duo's interest in post-disco and Euro-dance pays major dividends here for those looking to hear something beyond the usual Klein + M.B.O. or Alexander Robotnick singles. The vast majority of the tracks hail from that magical time (1978-1984) when disco, new wave, and synth pop were colliding with fantastic results, especially considering the quality of these obscurities…
The well established and long running Back to Mine compilation CD series has taken another creative twist and turn with Liam Howlett of The Prodigy being responsible for this release. British club dance musician Liam Prodigy's selection in the intriguing Back to Mine series of artists' mix tapes is both entertaining and revelatory, containing both the cutting-edge dance material you'd expect, like Public Enemy's "Welcome to the Terrordome" and Method Man's "Release Yourself," and more left-field tracks like ELO's "Living Thing" and Dolly Parton's "Jolene." For good measure there's Max Romeo's classic Lee "Scratch" Perry-produced reggae rhythm "Chase the Devil," the Stranglers' leering, punky "Peaches," and PIL's relentlessly pounding "Rise."
Next in the compiler hotseat for seminal mix series ‘Back to Mine’ is the legendary DJ and producer Fatboy Slim. Having sold over 10 million records and embarked on a number of sold out arena tours, the esteemed record collector and all round great selector delves deep into his weighty collection at his home to create a heady journey of funk and soul.