James Holden is set to follow up his 2003 'Balance 005' mix CD with a brand new double CD offering called 'At The Controls'.James Holden is set to follow up his 2003 'Balance 005' mix CD with a brand new double CD offering called 'At The Controls'.
"The idea was just to make a compilation that I'd think is good”, states James by matter of fact. "Mostly I hate DJ mixes, so that's the main thing that influenced this - trying to justify my 2 CDs with a load of music that I really love. Through Resist we've been able to get permission to use some tracks I never dreamt I'd be able to get, so it's turned out being a cross section of music that I'm really happy with."
For Holden this mix also represents a technological evolution from 2003's 'Balance 005' mix which utilised a Cycloops sampler and CDJ-1000 wizardry. Although on one hand his studio set up hasn't change too much, bar the odd computer upgrade, James is very much aware of the technological advances being made in both music production and application and is further bringing these elements in to his DJ sets.
"The other thing about this CD is how I put it together," adds Mr. Holden. "It's not just geek-toy-love, because how you make music always affects the outcome. Using a DJ controller I've been developing with some engineering friends, along with a heap of software and custom hacks of things, I managed to make a setup where I could make a good representation of what my style (as a producer and as a club DJ) is about, and could do it live. So the CD has a few mistakes in it but that's totally unimportant, because the feel of it is right and the noise and chaos suits me. More importantly the music is right - the way things go together and how one track leads you to the next. Which is the point of a mix CD, I think. All this music, to me, belongs together. It doesn't matter that I've mixed from psy-trance into 70's krautrock because the feel of those songs makes it make sense. They make each other better by being together musically. In that way (as well as the gratuitous digital noise) the CD fits with me too - I don't want to fit into any scene either."
'James Holden - At The Controls' will be released on Monday, March 13, 2006. Here's the tracklisting:
CD1
1. Apparat - Wooden
2. Plastikman - Cor Ten
3. Massive Attack Vs Mad Professor - Trinity Dub (Three)
4. Kate Wax - Angel Blues
5. Death In Vegas - Anita Berber
6. Petter - Some Polyphony
7. Vox Sola - Metro Pop
8. Issikadis - Hotter Now (Stripped Down Mix)
9. Holden - Lump
10. Midimillz - Trace Function
11. Harmonia - Watussi
12. Holden - 10101
13. Skugge & Stavostrand - Medean
14. Nathan Fake - Charlie's House (Apparat Mix)
15. Lucky Pierre - Angels On Your Body
16. Christ - Perlandine Friday
17. Fennesz - Rivers Of Sand
CD2
1. Meta.83 - Opening Titles
2. Paul Kalkbrenner - Gebrunn Gerbrunn
3. Motiivi:Tuntematon - 1939
4. Malcolm Middleton - Solemn Thirsty
5. Aphex Twin - Xtal
6. Milky Globe Vs Holden - Sun Spots
7. Kalabrese - Aufm Klo
8. Lazy Fat People - Big City
9. Water Lily - Lottotron Reboot
10. Trans Am - Cold War (War Is Stupid Mix)
11. Slag Boom Van Loon - Poppy Seed (Boards Of Canada Reprise)
12. Egoexpress - Live At Sirius Prime
13. Black Strobe - Nazi Trance Fuck Off! (Holden Mix)
14. Plastikman - Cor Ten
15. AFX - Every Day
More info:
www.resist-music.co.uk (source: Press Release) 
