Subtlety, Mood, and Flow on Interpretations II

Jerry Bonham has been DJing for over a decade, and this is his third official mix release, following up Interpretations I and Tranceglobal Nation 3. He has a residency at San Francisco's famous Spundae nightclub, and in this reviewer's humble opinion he is one of the most talented progressive DJ's not only in America, but the world.

A warning, though, to anyone who is considering purchasing this mix: if you like being slapped silly with track after track of the cliched epic trance breakdowns and huge buildups, you're in for a disappointment. This is a more mature-sounding, intelligent, and subtle progressive electronic dance mix. However, that's not to say that it doesn't have its share of floor-fillers and "big" tracks. Its just that Bonham refuses to shove them into your ears right away. The mix requires a slight bit of patience on your part as he locks you into the mood and flow of the music.

The mix begins at a somewhat lethargic pace with the dark bassline and four-four beat of "Inner Depth" from Motive and featuring Mark Hunt, and moves into the Excession mix of Lovesky's "Drums 4 Better Daze"; a track that has gained in popularity with other DJ's as well. Following is the deep, minimalesque drone "Looney Claire" by Smart Alex, featuring bongo drums and an ominous female vocal loop.

It is here, and for the next several tracks, that the mix completely melts into a deep, otherworldly flow. Second Hand Satellites' "Orbit 1.3" is exquisite in its subtlety, and is one of the most starkly ethereal tracks in the mix. The listener floats into and out of Lypid's "The Signs Alive" remixed by Montage Men, before "City of 3,000 Years" from Guillaume La Tortue is delicately mixed in. The fluidness generated by Bonham on disc one is absolutely remarkable.

The otherworldly feel remains through the next few tracks, and Bonham begins to pick up the pace slightly with Chiller Twist's "Drivers of the Deep" (Senna Summer Mix) and Freelance Science's "U Karumba". He concludes disc one with the driving bassline airy, colorful synth of "Sorry Mate You've Got The Wrong House", produced by Two Right Wrongans and remixed by Steve Porter before closing with his own progressive number "Erendira".

Disc two features more of the floor-fillers mentioned above, beginning with the prominent beat and sub-sonic bassline of Minders' "Freakout". A couple of tracks later the mix finds its way into the big sound of "Genesis" from Cass, who has produced tracks for the likes of John Digweed and Sasha. Next is a great track from one of Bonham's favorite producers, Starecase, followed by the comparatively toned-down progressive house of Loafer's "Travelogue". To this, Bonham mixes the surreal sounds of "Dark Symphony" from Murph, remixed by Planet Heaven. The track features a dark, quasi-operatic female vocal, reminiscent of the track from Smart Alex on CD1. The mix continues with a more uptempo track from JSJ called "Deep Love 9" and the pounding "Darknoize", produced by Souldriver, and is concluded with Slacker's "Musifon".