Simian Mobile Disco

This is a mix that hooks you from the opening chord, taking you on a mischievous journey of synthy electro with a sprinkling of techno and twang of indie rock. In the 41st installment of FABRIC Live, the London superclub/label ends the streak of pedestrian outings from Mark Farina and Digitalism with some raucous fun courtesy of Simian Mobile Disco. As one of the few electro acts to splash on the stage with Justice but avoid getting engulfed in the massive shadow of their French counterparts, British duo James Ford and James Shaw have quietly done their own thing without getting assimilated. Their indie band roots shine through in the selection of vocal tracks that lace a very respectable (albeit slightly simplistic) mixing effort.

The programming is top notch, starting with Sisters of Transistor's "The Don" and moving into their own "Simple," which is a single every DJ should snag immediately. A Serge Santiago remix of Hercules and Love Affair's "Blind" gives the mix a slight right turn into digital Morrissey before launching into a blend of new-school electro (Deadmau5's "The Reward is Cheese") and techno (Popof's "The Chomper") as well as some old-school classics (Metro Area's "Miura" and Green Velvet's "Flash"). It's a mix that casual listeners of electronic music with a penchant for indie can latch on to just as well as true club junkies. It even squeezes some rebooted funk into the mix with Discodeine's "Joystick." There really is very little to criticize and should be taken as yet another signal that the lifeblood of DJ culture now is gushing from the electro mash-up scene.

—Chris Nelson
09.24.08

Simian Mobile Disco are one of the few dance groups with little high-level DJing experience, which marks their edition in the Fabric series as one that comes with a few question marks. Would they have anything to say, or any new tracks to foist upon listeners always eager for the next high? Would they play it safe and loft a few of their influences from the days of acid house? Would they even play dance music? (Well, no Fabric mix has been completely dance-free -- especially not a live edition -- so there's little to worry about there.) Fabriclive.41 does display a few of Simian's roots, it does shoe-horn a few surprises, and it airs more than a few up-to-the-minute tracks from labels aboveground as well as underground. Much like their debut LP, Fabriclive.41 is paced perfectly, picking up and winding down several times, like a good dance set should. The first peak comes with Discodeine's excellent "Joystick," and after a few minutes of wind down, Metro Area's past classic "Miura" picks things up again. Highlights of the second half include the tongue-in-cheek acid of Deadmau5's "The Reward Is Cheese." ~ John Bush, All Music Guide