Jimmy Van M – Bedrock: Compiled And Mixed By Jimmy Van M

This and the Chris Fortier Bedrock were two of the first of this type of house music I ever heard, and I loved all the sounds that I heard because this type of deep scary sound was nothing I heard in other house music. I just listened to both of them and unlike most Progressive house that I used to like, I still thought these two were pretty good . As usual with with me, vocal tracks ruin it for me because I'd rather just here the music. Vocal tracks do less than nothing for me. They can make an otherwise great track sound like a cheesey piece of s***. And they're the only tracks that I have the urge to skip over on these two CDs

This was the album that had me change from being a progressive trance Dj to a progressive house Dj. This was a game changer of and album imo, it's got so many different sounds and moods and the way it flows is unique to me. Jimmy was one of my favorite Dj's back then and it's a shame he's not really relevant today.

Disc 1, track 1 is called "Nightstalker", track 2 "Late Night" - and that might just be all you need to know. This is an unrepentantly dark and thoroughly nocturnal entry into the progressive house canon. You probably already know if you like this stuff or if it bores your ass off, but for those who are partial to some spooky, subtle beats, this is one of the best compilations the stlye has to offer.

Disc 1 is stripped down to bare essentials, with the dubbed out tech-house of Late Night providing an early high point. The intensity builds through the industrial-edged Control of Sound, with the peak of Tocharian and Love Like Sleep burning up the tension.

Disc 2 offered trancier stylings, but is no easier a listen. The two mixes of Janeiro offer the mix's first truly great hook, and dissolve into the howling of dogs. A couple of run-of-the-mill prog cuts from Brancaccio & Aisher and Quivver lead into the oddest turn on offer, the classic trance (and i mean old school, Accident In Paradise grade stuff here) pastiche of Mansdisco. After the screaming peaktime anthem antics of Bon Voyage (quite possibly the biggest tune of all time, but Jimmy's earnt it by now), this style is reasserted. it's a strange manoeuvre, but then there are obvious parallels between the dark stylings of '02 prog house and the minimal arpeggiated goodness of '92 trance that make it work.

A classic mix of the genre...but of the genre it certainly is.

A then-unremarkable mix of dark, dark dance music. that disc 1 starts with a tune called 'Night Stalker' should tell you all you need to know - echoey FX, intense tribal beats and a pervading sense of imminent death. A climax of sorts hits with Prototype's "Control Of Sound", with its self-destruct-sequence klaxons and relentless undead funk beat.

Disc 2 is generally trancier, but not any brighter. standout track is Bon Voyage, with its screaming 7ths providing a fitting climax.

Overall, this set rules. Few mixes succeed in capturing a mood as effectively. what I don't understand is how anybody was allowed to play this stuff in a club. I'd hate to think the sort of effect it would have when mixed with psychotropic substances ;).

This is an excellent compilation from Bedrock. This is very dark and dirty progressive house with a spacey feel to it. Some of the songs could be categorized as progressive trance but mainly its progressive house and tech house. Jimmy has taken these different genres and made them come together beautifully. This LP has taken some of the best tracks from his mix CD and placed them on vinyl for your mixing pleasure.