Balance 016: Agoria (2CD)

After raising the bar to unprecedented heights in 2009 with Joris Voorn and Will Sauls stunning additions to the series, EQ Recordings Balance series returns for the new decade with yet another standard-setting mix from one of the most sophisticated and inspiring names in techno: Agoria.The man otherwise known as Sebastien Devaud wasnt bitten by the dance music bug until he was out of his teens, but once he began hunting imported 12s from the US and Germany in his native France, there was no turning back. His production career began in 1999, with his debut album Blossom and first compilation following in 2003 and it was clear even in those early days that a serious new talent was emerging. Blending the throb and groove of deeper, stripped-back techno with a keen sense of musicality, emotion and atmosphere, his is a sound that transcends beyond mere dancefloor disposability. Agoria explains his intention for this intricate compilation: The concept of both CDs is all about balance. Literally. In my mind a balance is not a middle position; it's a perfect equilibrium. Im trying to be as close as possible to this idea. I have tried to find this fine line where the balance is just right. To accomplish this perfectly-weighted contrast, hes cherry-picked from a myriad of genres and subgenres in his beat open-minded fashion, combining a wealth of material from newcomers across the spectrum (including no less than 12 exclusives) with more established producers, classics and unknown gems from his broad musical past, and put it all together in an unconventional, challenging manner. In the end, more than a DJ compilation, this is a manifesto of my passion for music and for mixing he explains.Disc 1 casts Agoria not simply as a functional dancefloor engineer, but as a musical craftsman, an arranger, a conductor. Its the sound DJing evolved the art of composition, contrast and texture, toying with your emotion and patience and pushing and pulling your attention in different directions. We begin all beatless and atmospheric, moving through the Viennese downtempo beauty of Tosca and the haunting acoustic pop of Emiliana Torrini and onwards into Agorias own blend of operatics and deep electronica on Altre Voci. Glimpses Train In Austria Pt.2 catches us off guard with its intense emotion, before the helmsman ushers us unexpectedly towards organic instrumentation and disco grooves, all warm and familiar after the heady electronics that went before. A delicate, blessed-out climax lays the mix down to rest.Disc 2 sees Agoria go for the 4/4 jugular, with more of the trademark sound that he is recognised for. But its not quite as simple as that. Even more so than on the first mix, he combines and sequences tracks in every different way, splicing several together, reintroducing the same track twice or four times, comparing and contrasting different flavours. I thought that to find the right balance, I needed to use all the ways of mixing. Editing tracks but also letting entire tracks play. Playing 3 or 4 times the same tracks, or spinning some for just a few seconds. Loopy or not. Exclusive, classic or covers, bizarre or easy listening, happy or trippy. 4 tracks together or just one. Loosing the listener for a minute to re-catch him the minute after. Spinning a classical music work of Jonny Greenwood at the peak time. Going up and then down. Starting and finishing with the same tracks. Familiar names like Marc Antona, Chris Carrier and Mark Broom supply a steady throb of techno and tech house rhythms - melody percolating the mix at the right moments - leading up to a dreamy, euphoric climax, laden with the joyous pianos of Serge Santiagos re-rub of Shit Robot and Martyns heavenly reworking of Efdemin. Two sumptuous vocal tracks round off this incredible oeuvre, the perfect finale to bring the mix back down to earth after some epic peaks.