Dave Seaman 'Beyond Borders Berlin' review

Image: Dave Seaman

The death of the album as we know it is a familiar trope in music, and it's made with even more conviction for mix compilations. Spotify and iTunes aren't the only things making it easier to stitch together your own collections of music, DJs themselves churn out so many free DJ sets that buying one isn't often at the top of consumer's priorities. Which is a shame.

Chucking a few records together for a crowd is one thing, but crafting a collection over time is an artform which we as ravers really better hope is never lost. Dave Seaman seems to be a man hell-bent on preserving it (something he regaled to us recently), adding a reboot to the format via his Kickstarter funded Selador Sessions in a field that he, more than most, has been instrumental in shaping.

Carrying on that mandate is this release, the next installment Beyond Borders, the series Armin Van Buuren's Armada started earlier in the year with King Unique. Much like the Global Underground series with which Seaman will forever be intertwined, the compilation focuses on a particular city, with Seaman entrusted with showcasing the beauty of what is on offer in Berlin.

The result is a sophisticated ensemble of house and techno excellence. Berlin is represented by a selection of artists who call the city their home, notably &Me and Re.You, but it's more reflective of the attitude the city inflects as opposed to an aural statement about what Berlin is.

Highlights include the brooding melancholy of Three Machines' 'Megalith', and pulsating techno via the D-Nox & Beckers Remix of Quivver's 'Wait For You' (above). By the time the seventy minute plus opus comes to an end, Framewerk's 'Feel You Hold You' from Seaman's own imprint Selador, it's testament to plenty of life in this old format just yet.

Find upcoming Dave Seaman shows.

Like this? Try Skiddle Live 005 – Dave Seaman @ Cream Nation Grand Finale.