AOL Music DJ Sessions: Mixed by Thievery Corporation

Album Review

Given the opportunity to strut their stuff before the wired masses, Thievery Corporation made the most of it, showcasing not only their own music, but that of their ESL labelmate's on this live AOL session mix album. Needless to say, the duo included a clutch of choice numbers from their latest album, The Cosmic Game — the fabulous, dancehall flavored grinder "Warning Shots," the dark and dangerous "Holographic," the propulsive "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" (here remixed by Louie Vega), and Govinda's floating-through-the-clouds remix of "Satyam Shivam Sundaram," as well as tossing in their earlier "Language Symbolique" for good measure. Playing before an international audience, the Corporation trot out their world credentials. "Satyam"s Indian influences are barely visible, but there's no doubting Thunderball's, whose "Road to Benares" travels deep into exotic climes. Federico Aubele's brings an equally strong Spanish flavor to the mix with his "Diaraio de Viaje" and "Postales," while Karminsky Experience lounge in the airport and dream of faraway lands watching the "Departures." There's a bit of time travel as well, as the set revisits the days of soul with "Can I Get a Witness," and slides back into the early '60 with Chris Joss' surfy "You've Been Spiked." All told it's an amazingly eclectic group of songs, but Thievery Corporation brilliantly pull it all together with aplomb, wisely paying more attention to the moods than the actual style, which creates the set's wonderful ebb and flow. An excellent performance from a top-notch DJ team.