In 2018 you would be hard pressed to find a working Dj that does not carry a Maceo Plex, Maetrik, or Mariel Ito production in their arsenal of dance floor heaters. Though his sound is always evolving there is a certain defining characteristic evident in his enigmatic creations. It is not a gimmicky trademark or regurgitated production style. No it’s more impalpable in its description and yet tangible in the experience. You can feel it in his deep opaque bass lines and lush perplexing soundscapes or maybe his entrancing melodies and thought provoking lyrics. For many there is no specific trait that defines his forward thinking music but more a plethora of emotions designed to profoundly reach the listener.

This Miami born artist is one of dance music’s most intriguing success stories, but it wasn’t an over night fairytale of success for this maestro of electronic music. Eric Estornel aka Maceo Plex began his career as a DJ in 1993 playing a mixture of Electro, House and Detroit techno. After earning a modest living as a young native Dj opening up for acts like Green Velvet, Plastikman, and many other present day veterans, this enthusiastic conductor turned his sights to music production in 1996. What followed would be a series of releases under various monikers that have helped to shape and define his present day style of adding futurism into any genre he is working on.

fabric 98 is a great representation of a man that loves to venture between multiple styles and creatively put them together in a way that somehow sounds cohesive and yet effortless in its design. This entrancing compilation features productions by elusive artists like Perestroika and Pinch to minimal wave bands like Iron Curtain and techno veterans Jon Hester & Mike Ink; Maceo Plex is not afraid to venture deep into the unknown and blend unlikely genres in order to realize his vision of the futuristic music he so vividly enjoys.

‘fabric is easily one of my favorite clubs in the world and favorite CD series. I wanted to be my organic self and fit as much of the music I love into a modest 80 minutes. That required a bit of digging and mashing up of sounds, but I knew it would be doing the series a great disservice to take the task lightly. 12 years ago I went to fabric in the wee morning hours after playing a small gig as Mariel Ito and saw Ricardo Villalobos surrounded by a sea of bobbing heads in the darkness and a blaringly intense sound system. I knew that morning I needed to work harder and somehow get to play that room someday. Adding my name to this list of respected artists and the rich history of the iconic series is special to me and I am glad to be part of it’.

fabric 98 is an artist paying homage to the respected CD series all the while staying true to his love of blending many genres into one journey filled mix. Staying dynamic and trying new things may seem second nature to Maceo, but it’s a labor of love for the music that drives his perfection. The CD starts with what seems to be an excursion into deep electro, but slowly introduces a 4×4 kick drum about 20 minutes into the mix and from there we are taken on a voyage through new wave and techno. In Maceo fashion an epicly beautiful track emerges at key moment of the enthralling journey all the while never allowing the energy to fade until its climaxes with an explosive and unreleased track by Voiski just before ending off on an inwardly reflective note that concludes the mix in tranquility.
The mix may require an open mind and departure from the expected but to surrender to this excursion and allow Maceo to do his thing will leave you with a profound gratitude for the experience.