In the twilit zone between drum ’n’ bass, trip-hop and futuristic, jazz-inflected downtempo beats lies Mixmaster Morris, one of the original chillout DJs and Ninja Tune artists. At a tender 3 months old, a much younger version of dublab had the Professor X lookalike in the studio for a masterfully mixed session. A sort of lo-fi, stylishly in-the-red recording, this is a grittier, D&B-friendly version of the chill breakbeat mix, filled with plenty of forward momentum and entrancing energy.

Following a Pharaoh Sanders intro (“The Creator Has a Master Plan”) Morris’ first selections include Jimpster’s “Shivering Sound” and Wunder’s “What I Know,” followed by a Plaid remix of Ko-Wreck Techniques’ “Metro Dade” and Brazil-centric sounds like Karma’s “Bateria e Braxia” and Jazzanova’s “Burnin’.” But that’s just the tip. At just about 75 minutes, this set features plenty of live edits and smooth transitions, and concludes with the deeply dubwise “Blue Sky” by Outside.

FROM THE VAULTS is an ongoing curation project produced by Ben Sinclair, resurfacing rare live performances and DJ sets recorded during dublab’s first ten years.

bensinclair1@gmail.com