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Dave Clarke

I ♥ Techno

(Music Man; US: 6 Nov 2007; UK: 29 Oct 2007)

A legendary DJ, the UK-born Clarke was a featured act at 2007’s I ♥ Techno festival in Brussels, Belgium. This “live in one take” mix is meant to commemorate I ♥ Techno 2007, though it was not recorded at the event. At any rate, it’s a solid, 20-track set, full of the intense, pounding techno that has been Clarke’s stock-in-trade for more than a decade. Several cuts, such as Peter Horrevorls’ “Evolver” and Quince’s “Sub-01”, are influenced by the classic Detroit and Chicago techno sounds. To that end, there’s even a new remix of Kevin Saunderson’s “Bassline”, and Joey Beltram makes an appearance as well. At times, the beats are so heavy and raw that their appeal is limited to long-time fans and purists. Everyone else will be beating off headaches. However, the mix’s final third really gets interesting. Here, Clarke pays tribute to I ♥ Techno’s country of origin, and his own roots, with a series of tracks that are heavily influenced by the Belgium-spawned Electronic Body Music sound of the late 1980s and early ‘90s. Depeche Mode obsessives may note that The Horrorist, whose “Wire to the Ear” is a highlight, is the working name of Oliver Chesler, one of the kids in 101.

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John Bergstrom has been writing various reviews and features for PopMatters since 2004. He has been a music fanatic at least since he and a couple friends put together The Rock Group Dictionary in third grade (although he now admits that giving Pat Benatar the title of "first good female rocker" was probably a mistake). He has done freelance writing for Trouser Pressonline, Milwaukee's Shepherd Express, and the late Milk magazine and website. He currently resides in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife and two kids, both of whom are very good dancers.


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The track listing presents perhaps as succinct an encapsulation of modern dance music history as anyone could hope to find.
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