Fred Numf/Various

For a debut mix CD, Fred Numf has hit it bang on. Here, Numf presents a two-CD mix that captures the "progressive" sound of 2001. With a mix of progressive house and trance, Numf, a Dutch DJ, has a handle on what makes a good mix CD. The solid grooves and hypnotic loops are rarely plagued by too many, or too long, breakdowns, vocals and samples come in and out of the mix and the track selection is very good. This is heads down music for extended all-night dancing sessions. Like a lot of beginning DJs, however, Numf has a tendency to put the anthems and vocal tracks near the disc's end, which derails the groove that has been building throughout the previous hour. Still, it's an admirable effort and worth checking out, especially for fans of John Digweed and the like.