Jedi master

Is it true that every time Tom Middleton touches a record, it turns to gold? Suggesting by the new Renaissance 3D mix, the answer is a resounding yes

Back in 2002, Sound of the Cosmos was one hell of a refreshing listen. With tired compilation after tired compilation hitting the shelves, the very thought of a three-disc mix was a dirty one. A cash in, using big names DJs to entice the kids to buy. Then Tom Middleton showed everyone how it should be done.

It has been a long time coming, but a kind of follow-up is here in the form of Renaissance 3D. We are promised a club, studio and home mix, much like Sound of the Cosmos, and as is always the case with Middleton, expect variety. The club mix is fine example of the best of progressive house, constantly bubbling along at a perfect pace to get the party started. The likes of Aya, Groove Armada, Wink and Simian Mobile Disco all nestle in nicely, complementing the vibe in just the right way.

However, it’s the studio disc that you should head to straight away, which showcases how great this man can be. Starting with an exclusive edit of Cosmos’ classic Take Me With You, top tune after top tune follows. Ulrich Schnauss – a chill out master – sees his ambient musings turned into an uplifting clubbing classic (to be) on In All The Wrong Places. Middleton’s mix of Lamb’s What Sound is another case of one expert fine tuning another’s, before the tempo steps up with The Modwheel’s Jungle Drums (another exclusive). Best tracks? A toss up between progressive house masterpiece Blood by Francois DuBois (Middleton’s deep mix) and end track Into The Deep, another exclusive mix of The Modwheel.

Sound of the Cosmos perhaps fell down with its ‘chill out’ third disc back in 2002, but the Home mix is not quite what you expect. Yes it ends on a quieter note, but starts with housey offerings from Middlewood Sessions, System 7 and Speakeasy. And anything that mixes in Orbital’s all time classic, Halcyon, can’t fail to succeed. The Jedi Knight has done it yet again – give the man a knighthood.

Renaissance 3D – Tom Middleton is out now.

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EVENT OF THE MONTH

These days, it’s not often that you get the chance to catch Tiesto in an intimate venue. The former world number one DJ (can it be long before he returns to the top slot?) has made a habit of rocking stadiums, but to mark the DVD release of Elements of Life on March 3, he will be playing a set at IndigO2, which will coincide with an exclusive screening of the new DVD.

The Elements of Life DVD combines electric footage of the king of dance and includes both on stage and back stage footage and highlights of his massive 2007 stadium tour, which celebrated his Grammy Award-nomination for his album of the same name. Since the necessary four elements of life are Earth, Water, Air and Fire, they are all presented in the tour, the result of which is a huge production of immense proportions that combines moving water features in sync with the music, high definition video screens and state of the art special effects, all perfectly captured and packaged on this limited edition DVD.

It’s grand stuff, which makes it all the better that we, the clubbing public, get to enjoy the man and his music in the relatively intimate venue of IndigO2. It will be a truly special night that any discerning dance fan can’t miss.

Tiesto – Elements of Life DVD Release Party (exclusive DVD screening and three-hour Tiesto set), February 29, IndigO2 London, Millennium Way, Greenwich, SE10; 8pm-3am. Find out more at www.tiesto.com