TuneLab
Seth Troxler for Cercle
at Château d'Apigné in Rennes, France
Seth Troxler in a French château, probably sipping natural wine between tracks and wondering aloud about the existential meaning of a kick drum—it's exactly the deep house curation we expect from him, and we wouldn't have it any other way. The vibe at Château d'Apigné is loose and sun-dappled, all rustic elegance and hazy afternoon light, ideal for his selection of groovy, introspective cuts. This set sits at a steady 128 BPM, with a overwhelming harmonic focus on 12A (appearing 11 times) that gives it a consistent, uplifting warmth. The energy is dominated by the low-end at 0.74, meaning the basslines and grooves are the undisputed stars, with the mid-range at 0.16 adding just enough melodic colour to keep things interesting.
Troxler's mixing is laid-back and track-focused, letting each piece breathe and build its own atmosphere. The digs are impeccable: Microworld's 'Ism' opens with minimal, hypnotic pulses, and Move D & Justin Carter's 'Leaves' is a lesson in deep, jazzy house. Traumprinz's 'Love Yeah' is a legendary closer of heartfelt machine soul, while D. Diggler's 'Cherrypoppers' injects a bit of playful sleaze.
Dewalta & Shannon's 'Artificial Turf' is a textured, rolling gem, and Azimute's 'The Secret' remix by Cristi Cons brings a Romanian minimal touch (though we'd never call it that). The nine-minute 'Holes In The Holoverse' by Lost Souls Of Saturn is a psychedelic journey in itself. It begins with the subtle throb of 'Ism', peaks with the raw energy of Jayda G's 'Diva Bitch' remix, and winds down into the melancholy beauty of 'Love Yeah'—a tracklist for slow dancing in dusty ballrooms.