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Death In Vegas: Richard Fearless, Tim Holmes. Illustrator: Thomas Penton. Who would think to put the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Upsetters, obscure electronica artist MMM, and Nina Simone (singing her gospel breakdown cover of George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord," no less) on the same mix CD? Death in Vegas, that's who. Associated, musically speaking, with the likes of the Chemical Brothers and Jon Carter, Death in Vegas (a.k.a. Richard Fearless) is usually a DJ big on ambient collage and clubby beats. Here, however, he weighs in on DMC's BACK TO MINE series (compilations featuring personal mix selections by key artists) with a very eclectic and satisfying sequence. There are some wonderful surprises here, including the spare, emotive folk of Songs: Ohia, the post-punk groove of Au Pairs, a delicious turn from Italian film composer Piero Piccioni on "Psychedelic Mood," and Bo Diddley's exuberant, funky "Elephant Man." This is what a mix disc should be--a string of excellent songs that balance the familiar and the arcane, surprising in their juxtaposition but unified somehow in tone and sensibility. This is one of the best, and most consistently appealing, discs in the BACK TO MINE series.
