A compelling groove-oriented mix can be one of the most challenging for a DJ to realize, but with fabric 88, Detroit-born Ryan Elliott has done so with considerable style and panache. Deftly avoiding common pitfalls, the highly-esteemed Berghain / Panorama Bar resident interlaces a variety of textures and timbres from across the techno spectrum in a non-linear sequence, allowing the mix to ebb and flow without ever losing impetus throughout its 70-minute duration.
Ryan Elliott was born and raised in a small town just outside Detroit, and his career to date has been informed as much by looking out from the city as in towards it. A childhood love for music developed into an immersion in the clubbing scene when he returned to the city from university. DJing soon followed, with a four-year residency alongside his friend Matthew Dear building a firm foundation for what was to come. Working with the Ghostly International / Spectral Sound organization helped Ryan build a worldwide network and audience, and in 2009 he moved with his cat and 500 records to Berlin, and he soon established a DJ residency at Berghain / Panorama Bar – where he is at ease playing in either space – and started releasing on their in-house Ostgut Ton label. However, his first trip outside of the US was to visit fabric back in 2000, and he first performed at the club in 2005. He has remained a firm favourite ever since, and now joins the long-running fabric mix series for its 88th instalment.
Elliott takes less than 15 minutes to build up a head of steam, before Phil Moffa’s liquid groove ‘Ignition’ swirls into the majestic echo chamber that is Tallmen 785’s remix of ‘Back Door’ by Fiedel. Dubby reverb, rolling drums and muscular basslines gradually swell the mix again until The Persuader’s ‘Inre Stenen’ ushers in a contemplative section. The rhythmical mantra of Anna Caragnano & Donato Dozzy’s ‘Parola’ maintains a propulsive momentum even through a momentary beatless interlude, whilst the pairing of Robert Hood’s ‘Master Jack’ and Mike Parker’s ‘Luminescent Black’ soon provide an intense counterpoint. The yearning synths of Z.I.P.P.O’s ‘Shift’ and Jack Murphy’s ‘B1’ herald fabric 88’s conclusion, leaving the listener to contemplate just how Ryan Elliott managed to navigate such a varied terrain with such consummate ease.
Tracklisting
01. King Cheetah – Water Maze
02. Borrowed Identity – LFI
03. Wincent Kunth – Unknown Deep
04. Black Boxx – Black Boxx EP2 (B1)
05. DJ Skull – Revenge Of The Synth
06. Phil Moffa – Ignition
07. Fiedel – Back Door (Tallmen 785 Remix)
08. Lapien – Searching
09. Kid Sublime – The Loop
10. Tensal – Achievement 3
11. Bas Mooy – Nearby Silent Horses
12. 3KZ – Machine
13. The Persuader – Inre Stenen
14. Anna Caragnano & Donato Dozzy – Parola
15. DVS1 – Tracking
16. James Ruskin - The Outsider
17. Robert Hood – Master Jack
18. Mike Parker – Luminescent Black
19. Orion – Patos
20. Steve O’Sullivan & Ben Sims present High-Life – Five Fingers In The West (UK Gold Remix)
21. Sub Space – Eleven + Twelve (Locked Grooves)
22. Z.I.P.P.O – Shift
23. Jack Murphy – B1
24. Anne-James Chaton with Alva Noto & Andy Moor – Chapitre VIII: Nihon No Tabi
