David Moufang is one of those DJs who finds himself lauded with the most peculiar of titles - that infamous cliché of a 'DJ's DJ'. In truth though, you'd be hard pressed to knock his CV. Having been in the game since the early 80s, his position as a house heavyweight is undeniable, gaining a reputation for delivering no frills, hard-hitting sets, heavily-laden with wax.
So to Fabric 74, as Moufang is tasked with compiling a mix for the London superclub. The mix is exactly what you'd expect - fifteen tracks spread over eighty minutes, classy deep house selections with intelligent, patient transitions from scene to scene. There's no frenetic DJ wizardry, no effect-crazed tomfoolery, just an incredibly honest and, for want of a better word, simplistic mix that lets the tunes do the work.
Two tracks in, the dub mix of Liz Torres' 'Your Love is All I Need' warms things nicely before Moufang teases the Liberty City classic 'Some Lovin' for a good three or four minutes, allowing the soaring vocals to really hit home which kicks the mix off to a flying start.
What follows, is a series of peaks and troughs that characterise a peak time Move D set. There's the kaleidoscopic, disorientating acidity of Darkman's 'Annihilating Rhythmn' jostling with the shuffling retro-euphoria of K-Alexi's Dub mix of MD III's 'Shake That Body'. When the mix slows down slightly to create space for Dom 877's 'Do It Right' and collaborators JuJu & Jordash's 'Loosey Goosey', the quality remains. In fact, the 877 tune comes close to being the pick of the bunch - it feels like the perfectly choice cut, slotted in exactly the right place in the way only a DJ of Moufang's prestige knows how.
Things get seriously jackin' again as we move into the last quarter as Moufang draws for a tune that will sound familiar to anybody who's caught a Move D set in the past few years, the garage-tinged, sub bass roar of Last Magpie's 'Roots' mingles with David's own 'Luvbyrds' - the only of the artist's own productions to make an appearance. Just like the beginning of the mix, the final 10 minutes or so dwindles down the gears gradually, finishing up with the blissfully smokey, cosmos-wandering 'Unke' by Hush House favourites Smallpeople & Rau.
On this latest mix, Moufang shows just how comfortable he feels behind the decks - the formula is the same as always, so don't expect anything different - just genuine deep house with soul, treated with the respect it deserves.
Fabric 74 - Move D [fabric]
Available now from Juno.
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