Nick Warren

The eighth volume in the increasingly popular Global Underground series, and the second for Nick Warren, is one of the best. What's surprising is that although Global Underground: Brazil uses many of the same dark tempers of progressive house music before and after its time, Warren walks you through it with definitive self-assurance. The Yum Yum mix of Capricorn's "All I Am" is mysteriously low-lit big beat and the PMT usage proved he was a few years ahead of the game. Where Warren excels is the pacing, the micro-moods he props up with understated but targeted climaxes. The effect is mean, crunchy dance music prepared in such a way that everything rolls effortlessly into unexpectedly memorable moments (Madagascar's "You're Beautiful," Propulsion's "Pressure," the reappearance of "Café del Mar"). It's a shrewd career highlight, a crawl out of the overcast trance/breaks shoreline, and a lesson in pulling it off without being boring or mean-spirited. ~ Dean Carlson, All Music Guide