Mark Farina Fabric 40 CD

West Coast house master Mark Farina was long overdue for a Fabric mix CD, so one can only speculate that, mainly due to a lot of prodding and requesting from the many fans of the series, he finally has a studio mix for the always important London label. Showing yet again his programming and track selection skills, Farina crafts a DJ set that is a replicant of any of his live shows-funky, soulful, and unrelenting in its cadence.

Anyone familiar with the house game will immediately recognize half the names on this album. Classic producers such as Johnny Fiasco, DJ Sneak, JT Donaldson, and Lawnchair Generals all appear here, but it's the showing of a few gems that make this mix so memorable. Classic house jam "Closer" by Mood II Swing gets dusted off and reworked by Fred Everything and Oliver Desmet, bringing the already timeless Chicago sound up to a modern, left-coast boogie, while Midwestern deep house secret Frank Solano's "The Blue Lines" bubbles and funks its way through the middle portion of the session. It goes without saying that Farina is in a class all his own, and Fabric made the right choice by offering him a spot as number 40 on their monstrously popular mix series.

Mark Farina was one of the main instigators behind the Chicago house scene, working closely with Derrick Carter and Chris Nazuka on the party circuit, DJing and promoting around the city. The three also combined forces in the studio, producing under the moniker Symbols & Instruments, and creating the world's first-ever ambient house track, 'Mood,' in 1989. Selling over 35,000 copies in the US and UK, to this day 'Mood' remains a classic.