[BPitch Control]

After four homegrown installations of their Boogy Bytes mix series, BPitch Control broke free of their own roster, judiciously offering the fifth chapter to Berlin’s beloved “baller by definition,” Mr. Troxler. Voted one of the top ten DJs of 2009, it’s comes as no surprise that Troxler’s track selection is as eclectic, varied, and charming as his character is memorable. The mixing is careful and colorful, and the narrative grows more magnetic with each end-to-end listen.

That said, the first five minutes of the mix came dangerously close to causing me to miss it entirely, and what a shame that would have been. Unlike his silly “WGOD, God FM” counterpart from the RA podcast, the voice that introduces this mix offers a little too much commentary for comfort. Sure, the meter is nice, but Troxler’s musical selections paint a picture far more enticing. Perhaps the intro could be more easily dismissed if it had not been followed so immediately by Dinky’s Arp-A-Pella mix of The Royal We’s “Party Guilt” (an admittedly hilarious skit portraying the weekend woes of a celebrity DJ).

Still, once the ramblings have passed, the selection is nothing short of the pure quality we’ve come to expect from Troxler. Catchy, disco-steeped house like Craig Smith & The Revenge’s “The Soul Part II” is met by minimal flashbacks like Hawtin’s 2003 remix of Spektrum’s “Freakbox,” offering the listener an engaging tour. There are some downright toxic moments sprinkled in: Baeka’s “Right At It” tied me into warm, cuddly knots on first listen, and it’s still one of the most hypnotizing cuts I’ve heard in 2010 (though it was released last year). Far more stylistic, the bounce behind Rosina’s lyrical vocals in the Deniz Kurtel remix of “Fables and Fairytales” may not have lasting appeal, but it certainly has stuck-in-my-head-all-day staying power. These are the sort of jewels that leave you yearning for the chance to stumble into more afternoon afterparties with Seth behind the decks. The mix’s crowning moment comes on slowly and seductively, as Troxler’s own Thrill Cosby rendition of Heartthrob’s “Signs” gently unfolds into the new self-titled track from Birds and Souls, a stunning and euphoric collaboration by Sergio Giorgini (of the similarly rock-inspired duo Benoit & Sergio) and Ryan Crosson.

Rumor has it that Troxler recorded this mix in the post-party glow of a weekend well spent. Despite what was no doubt a healthy dose of rave fatigue, Boogy Bytes Vol.05 was allegedly driven to completion at the insistence of a wise friend and a looming deadline. Whether Seth’s genius demands such conditions or works in spite of them, we’ll happily embrace his goofy “bytes” as long as he keeps bringing the “boogy.”