Bleep

Avalon Emerson’s DJ-Kicks mix begins with a few delightfully unusual beat tracks and Italo-Disco numbers. The tone is set with Emerson’s opening cover of The Magnetic Fields’ ‘Long Forgotten Fairytale’, a track where the original’s off-beat synth-pop stylings are accentuated by some idiosyncratic production on Emerson’s vocals reminiscent of Radiohead’s Kid A or Laurie Anderson’s ‘O Superman’. ‘Wastelands and Oases’, another Emerson production, and Tranceonic’s ‘Butterfly’ further elevate the mix’s Italo flavour.

From here, Emerson locks into a vein of tuff, trippy house/techno joints which are interspersed with futuristic neo-rave numbers in the Lorenzo Senni mould. The blend of old-school and new-school sonics is one which Emerson delivers with aplomb - see how low-end rollers like General Midi’s ‘The Future’ and DJ Sense’s ‘Finest’ (both 2001) contrast vividly with Oklou’s Sophie-esque ‘Just Level 5 Cos It’s Cute’. Italo influences return to the mix in the latter stages before Emerson throws the listener another curveball right at the death, closing things out with a stirring synthetic version of Austra’s ‘Anywayz’ which sounds like the yin to ‘Long Forgotten Fairytale’s yang.

Those who are wanting to hear these tunes in their full glory should look at the double-vinyl edition of Avalon Emerson’s DJ-Kicks. In contrast to the blends of the CD and digital editions, every track on the vinyl pressing comes as a full-length version - including three of Emerson’s original numbers and the ‘Anywayz’ cover.

Avalon Emerson’s DJ-Kicks is a brilliantly original exploration of house, techno, Italo and synth-pop sounds.