The Amalgamation Of Soundz

Some apt artist names: Little Richard, Scratch Perverts, Foxy Brown, The Amalgamation of Soundz. Jean-Claude Thompson was born in London to an Italian mother and Latin/Caribbean father. Mark Harbottle was born in Tehran to Persian/English parents. As respected members of the underground music scene, TAOS continue to exhibit the wide range of taste and influence their upbringing encouraged. Their Fabric sets are voyages of discovery (with four hands on decks), that explore the ocean of generic name tags and expand the notion of nightclub soundtracks. As producers, TAOS resolutely re-think dance music's code of practice, refusing to put different projects under different titles. In a market-minded industry they are awkward, exciting and inspiring.

'Fabric 12' flies by in a storm of moods and grooves. It starts with soundtrack elegance, blending music from Steven Soderbergh's 2001 film, Traffic, Mark Forster's 'Monster's Ball' (2002) and Mike Figgis' 'One Night Stand' (1997). Geche's warped breaks bridge a string tribute to Bjork and Akasha's shuffling, horizontal vibe; Chris Cousin's lush 'Pump Da Ball' sets up TAOS' heart-stealing re-work of Richard Davis; then some classic 'Future Sound...' precedes Hakan Libdo's weirdbeat house, the genius beats of RjD2 and another TAOS standout, the siren-sounding 'Simply So'. Angelo D'Onorio, Hi-Lo and Jeff Bennett toughen things up before a suitably cinematic ending: Soultek's dubbed-out trip, TAOS' addictive 'Summer Nights' and Still Phil's jaw-dropping 'Bey un Bey'.