TuneLab
James Grant - Anjunadeep 03 CD1
Before 'melodic techno' became a festival slogan, there was the deep, progressive sound of Anjunadeep—and James Grant's mix for Anjunadeep 03 CD1 remains a foundational text. This is a continuous mix for true heads, a journey into the lush, side-chained heart of 2000s progressive house that still sounds impossibly fresh. The vibe is one of serious, head-nodding immersion, the audio equivalent of watching oil patterns swirl in a dark club. Technically, it's a deep and patient exploration, locked into a warm 126.2 BPM groove and masterfully navigating between the melancholic 3B and the more mysterious 8B.
The energy is profoundly low-end focused (0.75 avg_low), with melodic elements and pads sitting comfortably in the mid-range (0.24 avg) and almost no distracting highs (0.01 avg), creating a thick, syrupy atmosphere. Grant's mixing is the star here: long, evolving blends where tracks dissolve into one another over minutes, prioritizing mood and texture over obvious peaks. The crate digging is legendary: Stephen J. Kroos's 'Micrsh' is a glitchy, micro-house curiosity, while Martin Roth's 'Deep Style' is a timeless, emotive prog-house monument.
Da Funk's 'Weekend Rubdown' brings a cheeky, filtered disco flair, and Parker & Hanson's 'Arabesque' is a soaring, trance-tinged classic that defines the era. The Mindgamers & Zas and Sanze track 'Focused (Jan Peters Remix)' is a peak-time driving tool, and Darren Fisher's 'Icaria' offers a moment of pure, atmospheric bliss. The set moves from its enigmatic opener, builds a deep, resonant peak with the epic 'Deep Style', and finally unwinds into the aquatic, minimalist dub of Alvaro Albarran's 'Tubah'—a closing track that feels like slowly surfacing from a deep, beautiful dive.