Mark Farina - Fabric 40

A member of early nineties Chicago production trio, Symbols & Instruments, alongside Derrick Carter and Chris Nazuka, Mark Farina’s mixing skills have been recruited for the 40th outing of Fabric’s highly regarded mix series. A famed exponent of the Chi-town house sound, Farina’s also carved a more down-tempo niche for himself with his San Franciscan Mushroom Jazz night which sees him join the dots between jazz-tinged beats and hip-hop instrumentals. Here he shows-off his house-orientated side with a selection of suitably jackin’ gear that’s heavy on the bounce-o-meter and includes the output of fellow Chicagoans Johnny Fiasco, James Curd and DJ Sneak as well as productions from Inland Knights, Ricardo Rae and Frank Solano, amongst others. All well and good, but this particular mix just seems stuck in one long, monotonous groove. While this means that it'd be great for dancefloor purposes, it’s definitely less well-suited for a home listening experience. One for the Chicago house purists only.