Erol Alkan Another “Bugged Out” Mix & “Bugged In” SelectionReview

A pioneer of the bootleg scene of the early 00s and the force behind London’s seminal Trash club night, Erol Alkan was one of the few DJs ready to embrace the mash-up maelstrom from the outset.

A club, festival and warehouse party staple for more than a decade, Erol’s the man who got, and keeps, indie kids dancing on both sticky union floors and within the glinting chrome of super clubs alike. His exalted position as a modern scene-setter and tastemaker has long been established; but never content to keep things consistent for long, his chameleonic production and live sets have always been played out with the teenage zeal he endeavours to feed.

So eight years after his first Bugged Out mix, this yin-yang collection effortlessly finds the balance between the aftershock and the after-hours. Recorded in a few live takes, it plays up to Erol’s love of fallibility and the human error it inevitably invites. It’s a collection that mirrors the changing moods and rhythms of his live experience: fluid and forceful one minute, grinding to a filthy halt the next.

A set that plays to his crate-digging obsessiveness with an ear for the accessible, In Flagranti’s odd beats, Umba’s techno thump and Gesaffelstein’s Agoria remix put the darkness into disc 1. Played out with a disco siren spirit and a few funky freak-outs, Factory Floor and Secondo throw up the wildcards and Kink gives Gingy & Bordello an acid trip they’ll never forget.

For the comedown, A “Bugged In” Selection, Erol drops the BPM and the mood switches to something much more reflective and somnolent. Jan Hammer Group set the understated tone from the outset and with Bibio, Chromatics, Walls and the wonderful Jasmine by Jai Paul all making the grade, disc 2 is all about quality of selection over the mix, even if the tracks do segue together rather pleasantly.

It all makes for a stellar compilation and proof that Erol Alkan, and the art of crafting a collection, remains as essential as ever.