Ralph Lawson - fabric 33

There's something to be said for a man who having dropped the very first record at Leeds' clubland institution Back to Basics in 1991, and still remains its resident to this day. Basics grew from strength to strength and Lawson went from being, as he puts it, "a thick DJ" to being deeply immersed in studio production. 2020Vision began in a deserted farmhouse in the middle of Yorkshire's rhubarb triangle in 1995 with keyboard genius Carl Finlow at the controls alongside Lawson. Through the years, many future electronic stars climbed over the rhubarb to pass through its doors to make merry and make music, including Josh Wink, Stacey Pullen, Chez Damier and Ron Trent, Derrick Carter and Mr C. The studio grew in stature and the 2020Vision sound was even lent to the likes of David Bowie, Fat Boy Slim and JK. But despite the big stars knocking at the door, 2020Vision never lost grips on their tough underground edge. When Finlow left for love in Paris in 2000, Lawson found himself bored with the current climate and hungry for a new buzz. A chance to work with Manchester's downtempo label Fat City on a mix album whirled Lawson into a new world of inspiration. Around the time his work with drummer Dubble D came out on Fat City, he sifted through his towering pile of demos to find a gem from an Argentinean band called Silver City. Fortuitous coincidence and a destined like-mindedness brought them all together in the studio, and it wasn't long before 2020Soundsystem was born. Since then, the electronic band have taken their energetic live act around the world.

"I just went into the studio and did it all in one take. All I was thinking about was the next record; I had already sourced the tracks I wanted to use. I'd been thinking a lot about it and I wanted to represent myself, Leeds and fabric. I'm not very nationalistic, but I wanted to represent what was coming out of Britain as well as at the moment there's a lot of really good new music." Ralph Lawson

fabric 33 paints a beautifully emotive picture of Ralph Lawson's diverse career, setting the scene with the thick acid basslines, swelling crescendos and dope beats he's known for. Drawing upon inspiration from life on the road with the 2020Soundsystem as well as his own DJ experiences, Lawson has used each and every one of the 76 minutes to create a mix capable of rocking any disco or festival. The feelgood, trend-resisting mix takes the listener out of the charts and straight to the dancefloor, with productions from cutting edge electronic producers such as Tejada, Romboy and Köhncke mixed up with the "live" sounds of The Rapture, Joakim and The Emperor Machine.

Tracklist
1. Vernon – Don’t Be Lonely (An2 Remix) [Polyphonics]
2. 2020 Soundsystem – High (Llorca Remix) [2020 Vision]
3. Julian Sanza - Polyfunny [Heartbeat Revolutions]
4. Dennis Ferrer - Transitions [Defected]
5. Badmouth – Anymore (Phonique Remix) [Fresh Meat]
6. Will Saul – Pause [Simple]
7. Marcelli Giordano – Shogun (Serge Santiago Remix) [Players Paradise]
8. Drum Cult - Radio (2020 Soundsystem Remix) [Dirt Crew]
9. Marc Romboy – Jigsaw (John Tejada Remix) [Systematic]
10. Nick Chacona – The Right Wing [SAW]
11. Art of Tones – Praise [2020 Vision]
Brett Johnson ft. DJ Heather – Everything’s Electric [Classic]
12. Joakim – Drum Trax (Beats) [Versatile]
13. Greenskeepers – 15 Minutes (The Rapture Remix Dub) [Om]
14. Swag – Hot Gloves (Bakazou Mix) [Battle]
15. Justus Köhncke - Advance [Kompakt]
16. Random Factor – Digitize (Emperor Machine Remix) [2020 Vision]