TuneLab
Awakenings ADE 2019 - Carl Cox
There's a certain relief when Carl Cox takes the decks; you know you're in the hands of a master who will simply make you move for two hours straight. His Awakenings ADE 2019 set is a no-nonsense, peak-time tech house and techno sermon delivered to a rapt, sweating congregation. The air is thick with the smell of fog machines and pure, undiluted club energy. This is a masterclass in driving, functional groove, locked into a relentless 130 BPM and hammering home the power of the 12A key for track after track.
The energy is overwhelmingly low-end focused, a testament to Cox's philosophy of physical, body-moving rhythm over decorative frills. His mixing is direct and authoritative, using long, powerful blends to build a seamless wall of sound. For highlights, the opening mashup 'SigfreedoM - I Wanna Be Your Slave vs Bulldozer' is a riotous statement of intent. Dropping 'Armin van Buuren - Communication Part 3' is a genius nod to trance history repurposed for a techno crowd, while the 'Introversion - Onryo (Obscure Shape & Shdw Remix)' provides a darker, hypnotic interlude.
Closing with the euphoric, stadium-sized rework of 'Three Drives - Greece 2000' is Cox at his most joyfully crowd-connecting. The journey from the aggressive opener, through the trance-tinged nostalgia of 'Communication', to the hands-in-the-air finale of 'Greece 2000' is a masterful arc of pure dancefloor release.