Loukas' Music Reviews
Missing Reviews from September 2000 - March 2001
These are reviews that were not included in Hugi 21 or Hugi 22 because they were done just after the deadlines for both.
Reviews from 27/12/00
Tukan - Light A Rainbow (Drizzly 2007/59)
Favourite Track: A1
Future Chart Position: Yes - 9
Additional Comments: Top Trance Track with an excellent Green Court Remix.
Overall Rating: 8
Full Review: German label Drizzly are on form with a brilliant release. For those of you that do not know of them, they are the label that release 12" records with about 10" of the record being taken up with the logo and info about the track. The Very Highly Recommended "Green Court" production team deliver the main A side remix and I can see why they are popular. The Vocals on this track are calm and happy and the riff kicks in midway through them. The riff is very warm and melodic and a few percent faster on a record deck sounds very much like a release by "Veracocha". The B Side has the more simplistic original mix which is more commercial too. The other B side mix is by DJ Worris, he is known for his productions on the Planet Traxx label. This release is much more harder and takes the track in a different direction in terms of its production and its synth lines. Overall a good release from the Drizzly Label.
Release Date: Unknown
Kay D Smith - Plattform E.P (Form Recordings 011)
Favourite Track: B2
Future Chart Position: Yes - 18
Additional Comments: Excellent Harder Techno Release From The Drizzly Sublabel
Overall Rating: 8
Full Review: Kay D Smith is a producer that has recieved a lot of good feedback from techno DJs up and down the country. These 4 tracks are very dark and very hard techno, which appeals to me as its something different from the usual trance/house i'm sent. Pounding Kick Drums and distortion are evident on all 4 of these tracks. "Formvollendet" (meaning "Perfect") is very hard and has a repetitive distorted synth line and some distorted vocal clips. "Mysterious Minds" is like "Formvollendet" but has an Azzido Da Bass style "Vwamph" noise as the lead on top of hard drum patterns. The "Gloomy Remix" of "Mysterious Minds" keeps the same drum pattern as the original mix but with some darker synths that add some darker effects to the original version. "Ermahnung" is a simple kick drum and bassline track with some drums and a pan flute sample that's been used in like 3,000 amiga .mod files. The breakdown has some nice choir sample that do damage in the track. These are very dark tracks that will no doubt lock you into a groove while terrorising you.
Release Date: Unknown
Alex K Katz - Dark Decade (Construct Rhythm 023)
Favourite Track: B2
Future Chart Position: No
Additional Comments: Hard And Gritty Techno Tracks From The Highly Recommended Construct Rhythm Label
Overall Rating: 7
Full Review: Along with Kay D Smith, Alex K Katz is another techno producer thats received a lot of positive feedback from DJs up and down the country. He has a mechanical style to his techno tracks. This is Evident in "Dark Decade" where he uses something that sounds like a spring board detuned by about 3 octaves. This is played around with on top of some gritty drum programming. "Subdue" is even more grittier with some Fx swishes, clanging metal pipe samples and distorted elements throughout. This will no doubt please the more twisted of you who are into the more harder techno sound. "Continue" reminds me of German Tracking Group Rohformat, the arrangement is very similar but Alex K Katz still gives this track his gritty sound. Another Excellent Techno release this month from the Drizzly Company.
Release Date: Unknown
Phuture Punk - Der Klang (Planet Traxx 2014)
Favourite Track: B2
Future Chart Position: Yes - 16
Additional Comments: Hard Trance track from the combination of producers "Junk Project" and "Aquaplex"
Overall Rating: 7
Full Review: Andreas Kramer and Reysan Khan (Aka Junk Project and Aquaplex) collaborate on this crossover between trance and acid. Mauro Picotto Style production with some hard leads over a Darker trance track. This then emerges into some 303 lines with heavy playing around with the cutoff. "Gedanken" carries on in the same style as "Der Klang" but with a more trancier lead and some simple synth melodies. "Colours Are Feelings" gets the 303 out again with some spoken vocals this time and is no doubt much more my sort of thing with some trancier synth lines and no doubt a less harder feeling to it than the other two tracks. Altogether a good release from the Planet Traxx Label, following up to another favourite of mine "Knochenbrecher" - "Nasenbluten".
Release Date: Unknown
DJ Errik - Minimal Obsession (Logport 2003)
Favourite Track: A1
Future Chart Position: Yes - 13
Additional Comments: Trancey 2 tracker From The Club Target Label "Logport"
Overall Rating: 8
Full Review: Two Club Based tracks are on this new release for Logport. The A side "Freakz" is a nice 9 minute dark and deep track with a monotonous bassline and synth overlays that will get you nodding your head in no time to this constant beat. B-Side "3001" also has a nice monotonous groove over some 303's being altered and some steady drum patterns, this two tracker will appeal to all those who like their synths on and dont mind anything being deep and that'll lock you into a groove for a good 7 minutes or so. Nice and deep trance.
Release Date: Unknown
Kay D Smith - Face Smasher (Jerk 2006-29)
Favourite Track: A1
Future Chart Position: No
Additional Comments: Scary Techno Tracks From Kay D Smith
Overall Rating: 7/8
Full Review: Kay D Smith returns on another record today! Dark basslines and pounding drums are in "Face Smasher", Featuring a disturbed vocal going "I'll smash your face like the bass to your head". Flanges are in use a lot during this track with snares and simple 2 note synth sounds being heavily flanged! "Procession" is much more harder and monotinous with some weird sounds, reverbed and dark. That's all there is really as the main sounds are just played around with. "Regentanz" Is very dark with some warped Vocal samples that are looped over some very dark drum programming, around 70% into the track the distortion and pitch shift are used in full effect. Kay D Smith's tracks will no doubt scare anyone within a 1 mile radius if turned up loud enough.... And this is no exception! So lets keep the volume up and not disappoint anyone up to a mile nearby!
Release Date: Unknown
Odyssey Of Light - The Breath (Axwax 2010)
Favourite Track: A1
Future Chart Position: No
Additional Comments: Hard Trance From The Axwax Label
Overall Rating: 7
Full Review: Andreas Kramer &emp; Reysan Khan are also back on another track today. This is also very similar to their release on Planet Traxx I recieved today, 303's are at the ready with some nice female spoken vocals and the same synth patch and could that be a Jv-1080 Pizzicato line I hear. It definitely sounds like it. B-Side "Confusion" is very similar to "The Breath" with 303s and vocals and isn't very interesting but will probably go down well with those of you who rate the A side highly.
Release Date: Unknown