Robert Hood: Fabric Fever on a personal tribute

Influential techno act Robert Hood has released his personal tribute to the Factory in London on the club’s very own record label. “Fabric 39” can both be regarded as a moody DJ set and a history behind one of the slightly lesser known pioneers of the genre. On a full 32 tracks, Hood ploughs through pieces by some of his early artistic friends, such as Jeff Mills, as well as his own compositions, with their distinctive blend of controlled minimalism. “A set from fabric is the only way I want to go”, Robert Hood claimed, “This mix has to be about the club. I'd like it to be dancefloor orientated and to take the listener on a trip. Any project I do, I like to read like a book. I like it to tell a story, you know? Not to just be random songs or tracks. It has to have continuity to take you on a ride. It should have a concept and be able to translate and read as such.” As to the concept behind “Fabric 39”, the original DJ mix has been enhanced by a string rhythm patterns, which were added in real time and will be exclusive to the CD.

To Fabric Records, the album also needs to be regarded as a belated tribute to one of techno’s underground forces, whose name has often been overshadowed by the work of more extrovert colleagues. He does not seem to hold a grudge against anyone, though. His partnership with Jeff Mills in particular has developped from Robert Hood MC-ing on early Mills’ tracks to their business liaison and even collaborative works at a later stage. There are none of these to be found on “Fabric 39”, but the inclusion of Jeff Mills in the track list can be seen as a sign that they are still very much a team.

“Fabric 39” passes on some of the bigger insider hits by Hood, but then again, the record does not aspire to be a “Best Of”, but needs to make sense in its entirety. His own pieces structure the CD, which runs through various forms of minimalism and allows listeners to focus their attention on various musical elements. The overall tone, remarkably, is never dark and always playful, despite its serious aspirations. Or, as Fabric put it: “Robert Hood takes stripped-back minimalism and sets beauty to a beat, pours emotions through hi-hats, sings with undulating rhythms and gives machines a tangible feeling of humanity.”

Homepage: Fabric London
By Tobias Fischer, published 2008-03-31

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