Villalobos* – Alcachofa

More listens just convince me that Villalobos' music is precisely this: just enough content to perform, not enough to resonate. This music epitomises everything "wallpaper" that minimal techno / house is and has become. It's still so utterly tedious, uneventful and empty, despite the immaculate production. I'll defend anyone's right to like this music - I don't consider myself an elitist - but I don't hear anything resonant or worthwhile to justify its reputation. Except, perhaps, that this is an "important" release precisely because of what it is - dance music for people that hate resonant, emotional, melodic dance music.

Why is using a CD as a master problematic? Since the music was created on a DAW and CDs offer uncompressed, lossless storage, it seems like it should be fine. Even if parts of the music were recorded analog, most of it was digital, and the release year is 2003, so what's the issue with using a CD as a master?

If this was mastered from the CD master then this is stellar work from Grinser.

Am I the only one with locked grooves or is it like that for all? It sounds good to my ears other than that

With a friend I compared the original CD, the original 2003 release including Tools and this one. This one beats both by less than half a mile. It's Easy Lee the best kind of mastering for this album.
- The CD was quite squashed and had no lively subs
- The original LP is less compressed but sounds "2003-esque", the subs come out much cleaner than on the CD, but the mid range is a tad smeared compared to this reissue. The top end isn't as snappy either. The original LP is far from being bad but this reissue has a bit more life to it, more contrast as well. I'd say the original sounds more "radio friendly" and less "studio accurate", if that makes sense.
The reissue has more prevalent dynamics and real, physical subs.
Note : whilst this may have been mastered from a CD or DAT, it does NOT sound identical to the CD.

Yes, the sound could be a bit better, but it’s still good and loud. That being said, it doesn’t work so good as an album anymore with the changes in the track list. It looses focuses here and there and the tools are out of place. That’s not sooo bad considering this as a release for the working DJ, but I just loved how the original album flowed and this effect is gone.

Pressing / mastering could be better. From music perspective - finally we have repress of a jewel that defined european stripped minimal tech house. Im in love again!

For those talking about the CD master, I understand the dissatisfaction of wanting a clean remaster. However, I am still very satisfied with the sound quality. Ultimately, weather pressed on wax or CD, the master would have to be digital due to the medium, right?

I'm mesmerized by the music regardless of the criticisms about the mastering technique.

It is unfortunate that Fools Garden (Black Conga) of the Alcachofa Tools did not make it to this release.

"Dexter" on this pressing starts with the same crossfade of "What You Say..." as on the CD, just like it did on the Easy Lee/Dexter 12". All this remastering energy and they skimped on the clean intro, hmm