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Agoria has been DJing and producing for over 10 years and has released records on French independent labels such as UMF, Tekmics, Zebra 3 and A-Traction before settling with the PIAS sub label, Different.

Noted for the characteristic artwork by Aboubabrar, he’s collaborated with the likes of Tricky, Peter Murphy, Princess Superstar, Neneh Cherry and Sylvie Marks. You will remember it was Marks that featured on his big one ‘Spinach Girl’ that turned up on many a compilation a few years back.

The two CDs of Balance 016 splits into ‘Aller Retour’ and ‘Rising Sine’. CD1 starts and finishes on a couple of tracks by experimental electronic sound artists Gregg Kowalsky and Alva Noto and it certainly stays low-key with ‘?’ by Mark Pritchard and it takes a while to warm up before “Viennese soundscape masters” Tosca and “legend” Boozoo Bajou turn up later in the set.

In fact, the mood changes from the downtempo chill with Emiliana Torrini’s ‘Gun’ that’s followed by a snippet of Agoria’s own track ‘Parasite 2’; in truth, the CD could have started at this point but as he likes to squeeze in as many genres into an Agoria house, techno, minimal, tech house, IDM, experimental soundtrack mix, just let it flow over you.

In fact, his ‘Altre Voci’ from Go Fast (Music From & Inspired By The Motion Picture) is one of the highlights (and another track that gets operatic, another after Joy Nwoso!). That’s the mid-point “peak” as its followed by one for train spotters which is always good in our book and its no surprise that Norwegian remixers turn up as in Todd Terje and Prins Thomas (don’t forget his album launch tonight at Corsica, see his new album review HERE).

And whilst at it, the London Balance Release Party is at Fabric Saturday and if you’re in lucky enough to be in Miami for the WMC on March 26th, Agoria is joined by Will Saul (Balance 015), Joris Voorn (who was responsible for the equally fantastic Balance 014), Desyn Masiello, Chris Fortier and Luke Fair at the Victor Hotel but he’s gigging all over Europe in the next couple of months so there’s a good chance that he’ll be somewhere near you soon.

It’s not surprising that Sébastien has been a bit quite of late as Agoria as he’s got his own label to run, InFiné (you may recall we we’re keen on Donso’s ‘Waati’ that turned up on Supperclub Beauty compilation) but it’s good to have him back and if his last compilation for At The Controls is anything to go by, Balance 016 is going to be another huge success.

P.S. CD2 wasn’t included on my promo version but I’d say it was a fair guess that it’s just as good as ‘Aller Retour’.

Reviewed: Agoria - Balance 016 (EQ Recordings) Cat. No: EQGCD029 2xCD Release date: 15 March 2010
CD1: Aller Retour
01. Gregg Kowalsky - Ashes From Evermore
02. Alva Noto - Monophaser 2
++DJ Koze - Lords of Panama
03. Mark Pritchard - ?
04. Manvoy de Saint Sadrill - Soeheniona
05. Tosca - Joe Si Ha
06. Emiliana Torrini - Gun
*contains a sample of Mark Pritchard - ?
07. Agoria - Parasite 2
08. Arandel - inD#5
09. Justin - Columpnam
10. 19.454.18.5.25.5.18 - When I Think Of
11. Pom Pom - 10
12. Agoria - Altre Voci
13. Glimpse - Train in Austria part 2
14. The Field - Over the Ice (Live mix)
15. Olibusta - La Pazz
16. Cubenx - Mis Dias Y Tus Noches
17. Felix Laband - Whisitling in Tongues (Todd Terje remix)
18. jozif - Back 2 My Roots (jozif’s 5o’clock Fabric Shadow edit)
19. Bibio - Jealous of Roses
20. LCD Soundystem - 45:33 (Trus’me remix)
21. Boozoo Bajou feat. Rumer - Same Sun (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)
++ Oxia - Less Time
22. Hatikvah - Synchronicty (Block Barley & Engin Ozturk Holmby Hills Remix)
23. Rio en Medio - The Last Child’s Tear
24. Tipper - Just as the Sun Went Down
25. Gregg Kowalsky - Ashes from Evermore
++Alva Noto - Monophaser
CD2: Rising Sine
01. Sylvain Chauveau - Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T.
02. Aphrodite’s Child- Loud Loud Loud
*contains a sample of LCD Soundsystem - 45:33 (Trus’me remix)
*contains a sample of Hauntologists - A1
*contains a sample of Avril - French Kiss
03. Taron Trekka - Shirol
++ Suedmilch - We Were
04. The Same - Szarpiesz Minerwa
*contains a sample of Dorothée & Ben Munyaneza - Mwali we!
05. Ogris Debris - G-Thong (You and Me remix)
06. Francesco Tristano - Knee for thought
*contains a sample of Sylvain Chauveau - Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T.
07. Different Gear - One Thing More (Dub mix)
++Dorothée & Ben Munyaneza - Mwali We!
08. Michael Forzza - Abstractor 2.0
++Rio en Medio - The Last Child’s Tear
09. Chris Carrier and Jef K - Morning
10. DVS1 - Running
11. Drama Society & Vladislav Delay - Almodrama
12. Agoria - Libellules
*contains a sample of Sylvain Chauveau - Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T.
++Gadi Mizrahi - I Know
++Marc Antona - Kipkop
13. Avril - French Kiss
14. Gadi Mizrahi- I Know
15. Jonny Greenwood - Tehellet
++Agoria - Parasite
16. Avril - French Kiss
17. Mark Broom - Twenty Nine (Broom 09 mix)
18. Einmusik - Atlantis
19. Perc & Passarella Death Squad - Temperature’s Rising
20. Aufgang - Sonar (Spitzer remix)
21. Shit Robot - Simple Things (Work it Out) (Serge Santiago remix)
22. Efdemin - Acid bells (Martyn remix)
23. 3 Chairs - No Drum Machine part 2
24. Kid A - Lonely
25. Sylvain Chauveau - Hurlements En Faveur De Serge T.

Links:
www.myspace.com/agoriagoria
www.balance-series.com
www.infine-music.com
www.fabriclondon.com
www.stomp.com.au