THE DIRECTOR'S CUT CHAPTER 4

Storied techno originator Jeff Mills parses his archive for more gold, pulling from rare Japanese CD cuts and his late ‘90s archive, plus new material as well as track-by-track commentary. Doing his best Ridley Scott - flight jacket on and perched in the director’s chair - Mills adds four more gems to his crucial compendium series; taking in the deep space flight of ‘Deadly Rays (Of A White Hot Sun)’ beside the Afro-Latinate hustle of 1997’s ‘Gateway Of Zen (Percussion Mix)’, which also appeared on his seminal ‘Exhibitionist’ mix CD, while on the B-side he pulls out a mesmerising minimalist zinger ‘999’ full of sizzling hi-hats, panic-tone synth lines and cavernous sub-bass, and a hypnotic new piece that ties the whole release back to Mills’ cinematic remit.

The A-side’s juxtaposition of astral futurism and percussion-driven earthiness showcases Mills’ range: “Deadly Rays (Of A White Hot Sun)” drifts like a widescreen space odyssey, while “Gateway Of Zen (Percussion Mix)” bristles with polyrhythmic momentum and an old-school DJ-friendly immediacy. The B-side deepens the mood — “999” is a study in tension and release, every crisp hat and menacing tone calibrated to ratchet the dancefloor into a state of controlled panic — and the closing newcomer provides a reflective coda, cinematic in scope and lean in execution.

As ever with Mills’ archive excavations, the care in selection and sequencing make this more than a collection of rarities: it’s a coherent statement about the producer’s aesthetic across eras. The mastering is clean and punchy, the pressings sound great, and the included commentary adds rare, human insight into the tracks’ origins. A must for Axis completists, techno historians and DJs seeking potent, story-rich tools for peak-time sets. 

Axis Audiophile Series (180g vinyl / 44k 24bit recordings): All the tracks are remastered for the series.

A1. 'Deadly Rays (Of A Hot White Sun)' (taken from "Where Light Ends" album)

A2. 'Gateway Of Zen_ Percussion Mix' (Unreleased version)

B1. '999' (Unreleased)

B2. 'The Industry Of Dreams' (taken from "The Messenger" album)