Fear of a Silver Planet

AMG Review of Fear of a Silver Planet

Dean Carlson
All Music Guide

James Holden (aka Mainline and Ogenki Clinic, but probably best known for his Ariane alias) attempted a warm-up of sorts for his imminent full-length debut in this one-hour, 18-track mix LP of old achievements and wearisomely progressive house allies. But since most of these tracks are Holden's own it's hard to imagine exactly whom this collection is aimed towards. The use of his own moseying sound effects in the middle of established acts like Corvin Dalek and Ian Wilkie feels wooden and detached. The consistent reappearance of Holden's work, even the best stuff like the aforementioned Ogenki Clinic, whose crunched, breakdancing "Kirei" was used to great effect on Hooj Choons' Nu-Progressive Era compilation, feels bored stiff. Old fans won't see the point and others won't want to dig deeper, which is a common complaint over young DJ's who have found sudden notoriety, though one not any less irritating.