Five years after she delivered an Essential Mix that was crowned the year's best by the renowned BBC Radio 1 program, and following numerous Boiler Room and festival appearances,
HAAi
released her first commercial mix, an installment of the seminal
DJ-Kicks
series.
is always interested in the psychedelic qualities of dance music, and her sets fit into her theme of ascension, constantly elevating on the path to a higher state. Still, she manages to take her
set in some unexpected directions. She builds things up with an ambient intro and an unusually propulsive late-period
Pan Sonic
cut (pitched way up, like many other tracks in the mix). Two
originals are representative of her sound as a producer: banging beats around 140 BPM, fizzing oscillations, and upward momentum. She picks several other tracks with escalating synths that feel like a rocket preparing for liftoff, including
Agoria
's "Boomerang,"
Christian Smith & John Selway
's "Departure," and
Perc & Fractal
's "Up (Perc Remix)." Right after building to a feverish peak with a 1997 track by Russian duo
Radiotrance
,
slams on the breaks by dropping "Geddeon," a 2008 dubstep single by
Tunnidge
. More recent and experimental tracks by
Surusinghe
Cocktail Party Effect
, and
Koreless
are strung together in preparation for the mix's final takeoff. "Always Ascending," the concluding track, reworks
's
Jon Hopkins
collaboration "Baby, We're Ascending" with soul-seeking poetry by West London lyricist
KAM-BU
. Somewhat less fluid than other
mixes,
is nevertheless an adventurous, uplifting ride. ~ Paul Simpson