Is John Dahlback my favorite Swedish producer right now? Quite possibly yes. Is he among my top, let’s say, 20 producers? Yeah I think he might be. Although I’m anxiously awaiting my first time to see him live I can happily say I’ve enjoyed blasting his tracks through my headphones, my home speakers, and at venues around Boston. When I saw Dahlback would be releasing a compilation album containing tracks both old and new from his label Mutants Records, I knew it would be something special; the calendar was marked. Here’s the best part: you can download all 17 tracks plus the continuous mix off iTunes for just $6.99 – an insane deal when buying two or three tracks off Beatport these days can cost about that much.
So did the album live up to my expectations? A thousand times yes. I would have been happy with just the hour-long mix but I’m glad I can throw many of these Electro and Progressive bangers into my DJ sets as well. The compilation opens up with the hard-hitting “Inner Freak” by Faustix and perfectly transitions into John Dahlback’s own “Don’t Stop” (released April 2013), which is equally as grimy. Closing out the first three tracks is Lucky Date‘s remix of “Every Breath” by John Dahlback – it contains Lucky Date’s signature Electro sound and balances perfectly with Janice Robinson’s vocals.
The biggest standouts to me on this release come from the Lunde Bros and from John Dahlback himself (hey, he’s not the label boss for no reason). I featured a Lunde Bros track on my Beantown Boogiedown guest mix (“Can You Feel It”) but that one was a little on the funkier side. Both “Get Down” and “Put Em Up” (part of the Put Em Up EP) go a little harder while still keeping some funk intact. Dahlback’s unreleased “Amedei” is a huge track and I will be watching out for that one on Beatport. And of course Jimi Frew’s “Depth” is featured, one of my favorite tracks from 2013 so far. If you’re worried the compilation might be too aggressive there are some periods of relative tranquility, such as Faustix & Imanos’ “I Will Wait For You” and the Feenixpawl remix of Dahlback’s “Diamonds”.
Overall this thing is massive and I truly implore you to head over to iTunes and crank up the energy. I know I’ll be taking this mix to the gym with me when I’m not using it to get my parties started. And if you have some extra time, take a look through Dahlback’s extensive library that dates back to some funky and Techy tracks.
Mutants Records: Presented and Mixed By John Dahlback (Continuous Mix)
1. Intro
2. Faustix – Inner Freak
3. John Dahlbäck – Don’t Stop
4. John Dahlbäck & Greg Cerrone Ft Janice Robinson – Every Breath (Lucky Date Remix)
5. John Dahlbäck Ft Agnes – Diamonds (Feenix Pawl Remix)
6. Astro Bros– Bomba
7. Greg Cerrone – No Fear
8. Faustix & Imanos Ft Lindsey Ray – I Will Wait For You
9. Lunde Bros – Get Down
10. John Dahlbäck – Amedei
11. KitSch 2.0 – Housecoholic
12. Mick Kastenholt & Jay Adams – No More Fairytales
13. Flipmonks – Kickin
14. Jimi Frew – Depth
15. Dim Chris – Show
16. Felix Leiter & Marrs TV – Feel The Panic
17. Lunde Bros – Put Em Up
18. Eitro – Verve