Ivan Smagghe/Various

The Fabric crew in London run one of the world’s premier clubs. Therefore, the Fabric DJ mix series usually elicit their fair share of clout. But the range of the producers selected to assemble these mixes is usually so wide that few people will actually chase down every single edition. Case and point: Adam Beyer and Ivan Smagghe, the two latest instalments in the series. Beyer is the globetrotting Swedish main-room techno DJ who is a master of mixing technique but will tend to play it pretty straight when it comes to his selections. The set starts off on an ill-advised note with Slam’s "This World” before pushing into more amenable territory with a handful of cuts representing the M-nus, Traum, and Ghostly International labels. Beyer’s mindset is hooked on minimal techno and micro-house, and although at times the set is marred by a tension between big-club and underground selections, his technical abilities more than hold it all together. Smagghe is also known as one-half of Output’s electro-goth duo Black Strobe. As a DJ, he’s diametrically opposed to Beyer, in that his selections are more progressive but his technical abilities don’t give him as much control over the set. Therefore, his mix freewheels through chunkier side of electro, picking up some of the hottest names in underground music along the way: Ada, the Kills and Michael Mayer. The only drawback is a set that sounds as though it wants to change direction one too many times. Both mixes are well worth the time and investment and Fabric’s deluxe metal-box packaging alone goes a long way toward that end. But for the adventurous, take Ivan Smagghe and for those who like it lean and focused, go for Adam Beyer.