zip: fabric 67

With all the verve and blissful energy of his DJ sets Franzmann builds his own musical universe across the mix, unmasking his mysticism at first with the revealing reverbed chants and analogue stabs of Vedomir’s ‘Dreams’ before veering off into the awkwardly sinewy melodic structure of San Proper and Steven De Peven’s collaboration, ‘Pam Pam’. The poise of the way Vedomir’s ethereal opener runs into the clipped drums of ‘Pam Pam’ sets Zip up for further of these intelligent arrangements. Using these kinds of morphing vocals as a key tool, Zip draws for them on more than one occasion on the first half of fabric 67, using them to slice through the mix, creating these weirdly beautiful moments that serve to mesmerize the listener. He’s not shy of using proven dancefloor wrecking tools either, using Nail’s ‘Till The Feelings Gone’ very early on and unapologetically hinging the mix on the ‘Moodyfied Mix’ of Jovonn’s rare 1995 groove, ‘Satisfied’. But as much as he’s able to let these little moments of release fly out there wantonly, he shows that rare ability of being able to dovetail his more stomping moments with the sparse, disjointed technicality of DJ QU’s ‘Everybody Dark’, the irk of the distorted lead line on The Sun of God remix of Armando & Steve Poindexter’s ‘Blackholes’ or the direct drive of Kenny Larkin’s ‘Drone’.

Shake your bones to fabric 67: Zip from Fabric London.