• Search
• Subscribe

P erhaps the biggest surprise of Balance 13 by SOS - the DJ trio of Desyn Masiello, Demi and Omid 16 B - is how generally subdued it is. When we caught up with Omid and Demi on a tour stop in Australia their giddiness, enthusiasm and ability to finish each other's sentences would put most newlyweds to shame.  

There's also no good reason the boys need bother splitting a booking fee; they are all established DJs and producers in their own right. However, it's a good thing they have because their SOS Balance mix on Oz's EQ Recordings imprint is sublime - two thirds of it anyway. As is often the case with compilations, it's the non-dance floor oriented fare that ends up being the most compelling. 

Discs one and two work as a continuous mix (by way of disc one ending with the Cure's "Lullabye" and disc two picking up with the SOS edit of the same tune). Disc one kicks off with Omid's "Seagull" whose distant, rumbling storm intro somewhat sounds like the intro from "Riders on the Storm" by The Doors. From there, the mix takes on a dreamy vibe, with material by AN2, Modern Heads featuring Pig & Dan and Omid's "The Final Choice" all sounding a bit like B-sides of Air's classic "Alone in Kyoto". I doubt it was intentional, but from there I couldn't shake off that '80s feel. If progressive house had gotten its start in the '80s, it might have sounded an awful lot like Balance 13. It's a vibe abetted by the inclusion of tunes by the Cure, Cocteau Twins and Bryan Ferry whose "Don't Stop the Dance" receives a lovely SOS edit that deserves a proper release - great tune. Perhaps the best moment of the mix belongs to the Balearic touch on Aereoplane's "Caramellas" - the mix builds perfectly into it and it shows off the SOS crew's masterful programming. Through material by the likes of Way Out West's Jody Wisternoff, Lindstrom, Jan Driver, MC Sultan and others, disc one is as much about pairing good tracks as it is about the spaces between them - it's a mix that really breathes. 

Just as deep, disc two builds nicely through tunes by Dusty Kid, Josel, Nima Gorji and Spirit Catcher. However, again, a track by Aeroplane, the Belgium-based duo of Stephen Fasano and Vito De Luca, is the mix's centerpiece. The self-titled dub of "Aeroplane" (lifting beats from the classic "Blue" by LaTour) is paired and overlapped with the SOS edit of Corporation of One's "The Real Life" (which samples "Bohemian Rhapsody"). This time, the mix delves back into the '70s for its inspiration, a further demonstration of the Sex On Substance trio's affection for music new and old. I was also pleased to hear the inclusion of another classic - Innercity's "Big Fun" - alongside up-front material by Marc Romboy vs Stephan Bodzin ("Atlas"), Ink & Needle, Joeski, Bionik Phunk and others. 

Disc three is the most outright club-oriented and contemporary mix and the most perfunctory. It isn't a bad mix by any stretch of the imagination but it's the most obvious-sounding. However, it offers the opportunity to hear the boys work their magic from the ground up, taking a live mix from downtempo grooves into full-on territory. Look for material by Speedy J, Aeroplane (again!), DJ Pippi, Loco Dice, the Detroit Experiment and a bunch of SOS edits.

Overall, neither Balance series nor SOS fans will be disappointed with lucky 13.