• • 2010 February
  • RA Poll: Top 50 mixes of the '00s
  • 02. Daniel Bell - The Button Down Mind Of Daniel Bell [Tresor, 2000]
    
    
    
    Aside from the year-end polls, the most read feature on RA in 2009 concerned the esoteric art of the opening DJ. The Button Down Mind of Daniel Bell could easily be its soundtrack. Ask any experienced DJ and they'll tell you that the opening slot is the hardest spot of all, but Bell excels in the role. Eschewing the easy route of anthem-led house music, Button Down is a study in how to build a set slowly and carefully to a gentle climax without sacrificing any of the personality of the mixer. Bell had better records than you in 2001—and he still does—but his lessons are universal to all DJs: Know your crowd, believe in your sound and always bring Nick Holder's "Feelin' Sad." - Todd L. Burns