Resident Advisor Names Balance 005: James Holden Among the Top 10 Mixes of the 21st Century…
It fills us with genuine joy to see Balance 005: James Holden included by Resident Advisor in their Top 10 mixes of the 21st century.
Not only is it one of just two mixes on the list released before 2005, it is also among a small handful to receive a commercial CD release. That fact alone speaks volumes about what was captured across its two discs. More than two decades on, it continues to shine amid today’s relentless flood of online mixes.
When James Holden was invited to compile the fifth entry in the Balance Series, few could have predicted how deeply it would resonate. In 2003, his reputation as a production prodigy already preceded him, and we knew we were in for something different. Still, no one could have anticipated quite what he delivered. We loved it immediately.
The wider response at the time was more tentative. Some felt it leaned too progressive for techno purists, too techno for progressive devotees. It sounded otherworldly, resistant to easy categorisation.
It needed time to settle. Eventually it did, and its reputation quietly grew into legend.
Listening back 22 years later, what stands out most is how fresh it still feels. In the end, trying to pin a label on the music was a fool’s errand.
It was simply timeless.
Or, as Resident Advisor succinctly puts it:
“Balance 005 is a triumph.”
