June 2002 Reviews

Louk

Arksun - Earth One (Zone)
For release number twenty two, Zone recordings in Bristol have another fine production by their busiest producer Laurence Rappiocili also known as Arksun. There are three tracks on offer with this release with the Original Mix being a very nice tech-house track, with some cool sweeping synths, a nice chugging percussion section as well as a good bassline. I like this one a lot. On the flip, first up is the "Chilled Mix" which will be heaven to fans of Chill Out music but unfortunately that isn't really me. It does have a nice laidback feel to it so no doubt will be essential when you're sick of kick drums! Finally is the "Illuminati Mix" which is a pretty nice breakbeat track. Giving a lighter edge to the A side, this is for those who play things a little calmer. Quite a variety of mixes here which make up a cool package. Check it out when released, a fantastic track.

Tim Healy vs Karova - Smashed (Zone)
This is the first of two releases for Zone Recordings this month. For this production, label owner Tim Harley (who's Darkness Calling production has been hyped lots recently) teams up with Capital Heaven's "Karova" artists for this two tracker. The Original mix kicks off with some chuggy percussion before dropping for a moment to let quite a nice bassline come in. Some cool sweeps and FX are layered over the top to help make the track feel a bit more spaced and some sampled vocals help break the track down. As you can expect, everything builds up nicely and this track definitely worked well on me when it kicked back in. On the Flip, Karova's mix is sheer quality, starting with tribal percussion and featuring a cool piano part alongside a really driving bassline and the vocals off the original mix, the track is indeed very deep to begin with. However, after the main break at around six minutes in the track goes a lot harder and chaos breaks out. To say this is excellent is an understatement. What more do I need to say except buy this track when released!!!

Terrapin - Blue Print (Revelation)
I was mightily impressed with the last Revelation release by DJ Jan vs Vanduene and this three tracker from Terrapin (also known as Johan Verstraeten + Hans Rits) is a very cool follow up. Kicking off with the "R.H Mix", what we have here is a track which kicked off very well with some very nice percussion, a cool bassline and good synth parts but after the break unfortunately didn't feel as good as it could have been in my opinion. Next up is the "Trance Mix" and this track reminds me a little of a production by Minimalistix. Being a nice and very uplifting trance track with a cool melody this really does work well.Finally there is "Phantom Leap" and this track is the best of the three on offer in my opinion, with an awesome arrangement that is definitely designed to work well, you can't go wrong with track mix at all. All in all here are three very cool tracks. Check them out when released on the 16th of July.

Dust - I Can Feel The Love Inside (Illusion)
Another one from Illusion based in Belgium who have certainly been busy this month! Produced by Eddy Weyns and Phillip Meers with vocals provided by Silvy Schrijvers this three tracker is designed for the more commercial DJs + Radio Stations. The "Extended Vocal Mix" is an ideal summer tune, with some awesome vocals, some cool percussion a fantastic riff and just a quality arrangement through and through. The "Vocal Radio Edit" is a shortened version of the extended vocal mix which no doubt will be played by a fair few radio stations this summer if all goes well. While on Side B we are treated to an "Extended Instrumental Mix" for those who find that the vocals aren't really their thing. No doubt this will go on to be huge and I reckon Illusion have picked up on a big track here. We will see! Check it out when released.

Tiny K - Three Times A DJ (Sookie)
This release on Sookie recordings (who I've been following since their first release in Summer last year) is provided by Christophe Dom + Regi Penxten under their "Tiny K" alias. I believe that Regi is also in the hugely successful Milk Inc too. "Three Times A DJ" has some very cool ideas with a tough rhythm, a grinding bassline and a reversed riff which is played around with. This track also for some reason reminds me of "Dance Valley" by "System F" which isn't a bad thing and this sounds very cool indeed. On the flip is the excellent "Roll Your Mind" which has vocals of "Rock Your Body, Roll Your Mind" along with one of the catchiest riffs and a "Zombie Nation" like saw riff. A very good production which really works well in my opinion. Again this is another release from Belgium worth checking out this month. Sookie have done it again!

Elektro Kid - Three O Three (K+S)
The Production team of Elektro Kid kick off this new Belgian label with "Three O Three". There are 4 tracks on offer, each of which vary greatly in my opinion with the "2.2 Mix" up first. This mix is a bit weird with some hard percussion, a Mauro Picotto style warped bassline and one of the strangest 303 riffs known to man. The "1.1 Mix" is not my cup of tea at all, having a really flat kick drum and just being quite minimal I am not a big fan of this mix. On the flip, the "Medium Mix" is quite cool with some effected stabs and the 303 riff from the original being filtered with over quite a pounding drum section. Finally is "Jupiter's Song" which is the best track on this record, taking on a much less frantic approach with some cool synth underlays and a quite catchy and uplifting riff, this one is definitely one that fans of trance would love. All in all a bit of a mixture but still check it out when released.

Bumper - Blue Land (Visionary)
For their first release, Belgian label Visionary recordings deliver this uplifting three tracker. Produced by David Deneyer, Louis T and Ludovic Jonau (also known as Electro Kid) this release is quite a cool slice of trance. The "Dee Bee's Deep Space Mix" has some really nice synth stabs, some excellent percussion and quite a nice riff. Combined with vocals of "Welcome to my Home", this track does sound similar to some others in my opinion and is nothing that special. However on the flip, first up is the "DL Revision Mix" which is pretty upbeat, featuring a really nice synth underlay, some effected snare rolls and quite a cool acid part just before the second break this track is definitely quite uplifting and very cool. Finally is the "Original Extended Mix" which in my opinion should be sped up a bit as it sounds like it could do very well as a hardcore track. This is similar to the DL Revision mix except there is a Full vocal track included. No doubt this one will do well commercially. A very nice release. I look forward to more!

Pascal Feliz - OD (K+S)
Pascal Van Boxtel and Belgian DJ Marcel Woods are the people behind the second release on Belgium's K+S label. With three mixes of "OD" on offer, The Original mix is a very simple yet effective number with a cool basline and some excellent synth stabs over a cool rhythm. With a sample from "Mr Kirk's Nightmare" by "4 Hero", this really does have the right ingredients to do some serious damage. The "Woody Rivers Dark Dub Mix" is a lot less inspiring with a really flat kick drum and a generally minimalistic feel. This doesn't do much for me at all but it isn't a bad track and I can see fans of the No Name label liking this one lots. Finally the "DJ Francois and Marcel Woods Remix" is quality, having a really nice bassline, an excellent riff and a mental breakdown that really will work a treat you can't go wrong with this mix. An excellent 3 tracker, Nice one K+S

Airhead - Overpowered (Redemption)
After some excellent productions last month, Birmingham's Redemption deliver this Dom Harding produced two tracker which has been licensed from TNT recordings. Joe Kelly provides the A side mix and his mix has a some nice percussion, an excellent bassline, some very cool synth underlays and has a general hard feel to it which really works well in my opinion. On the flip we are treated to the Original mix which is blatantly the trademark Airhead sound with a riff that really does the damage along with some really nice key changes that works very well. As well as this there is some thumping percussion and a very nice bassline. It is evident that this track is designed to uplift. It is fair to say that the track does the job well and I really like it. All in all this is definitely worth buying as soon as it is released and Both Joe Kelly's version as well as the Original are excellent and worth checking out! Quality

Mark Wheawill - The Darkness (Source Of Gravity)
Source Of Gravity return with another two tracker by Mark Wheawill, who in my opinion must be one of the busiest producers in the UK of late. Here he returns with "The Darkness" which has a mix provided by Mark himself and one provided by Databass. Wheawill's mix is a very nice slice of breakbeat with some catchy synth parts and a generally nice and uplifting feel to it. For some strange reason it sounds really good when playing computer games to and I know fans of breakbeat and progressive house will love it. On the flip, Databass (also known as Justin Owen)'s mix is a particularly dark slice of progressive house with some very cool gated synths, a nice and complex percussion section as well as a funky bassline. Add to this twisted vocals repeating the title and you can't really go wrong with this one. A fantastic two tracker. Nice one Source Of Gravity!

Protocol - Atocha (Trance Mixes) (Rebel Vinyl)
Another Release on Rebel this month, this time we are treated to some excellent trance reworkings of the track "Atocha" by Protocol on Rebel's progressive offshoot Prognosis. First up is Pathogen (who are Protocol under a different name and have had releases on Good:As and 3 Beat). Their mix is extremely uplifting, with a wicked percussion section and an awesome synth underlay that sounds similar to some of the older Rebel Releases, things go extremely nice when the riff comes in. This is another one which could do with being pitched up a little in my opinion but it is still a damn good track! On the flip CM and SV (who's initials aren't exactly hard to work out who are behind the mix) deliver a particularly cool rework as well, the only let down being I expected a lot more from the riff than what was delivered. It still is a top track apart from that and I recommend buying both the trance versions and Progessive versions on Prognosis of this track as it is indeed worth every penny!

Woman On A Mission - Something Better (Rebel Vinyl)
After a lengthy absence of almost a year since the last release on the main label itself, Sussex Based Rebel Vinyl return with this production by Woman On A Mission. Having already received a lot of hype from the initial test pressings sent out, this track is a very cool slice of trance that works well. The original mix has some excellent vocals over an ace riff, some cool percussion and fantastic piano chords which accompany the vocals really well. This track really does have everything that you need. On the flip, Misty and Murky (who's "Dance Like Yer Dad" track I still listen to lots) still keep things trancey but their mix doesn't really feel as good as the original and overall feels just a bit weaker. However there are some very cool parts in it and if you are into something a bit different this will definitely be up your street. My advice is to stick with the Original mix and no doubt this will be played to death over the summer!

Tried + Twisted 1 - Golden Brown (Tried + Twisted)
For the first release on a label that promises to remix classic hits and bring them up to date for Today's scene, "Tried and Twisted Recordings" have decided to do a rework of "Golden Brown" by "The Stranglers". Having not been a big fan of the Original and hearing it on too many Car Adverts, the two versions on offer are extremely different. The Slipped Disco mix on Side A is shockingly poor in my opinion. Having a really uninspiring arrangement which really does not do anything for me at all along with including the riff of the Original track over a pretty dull disco loop, this mix is horrible. However all is not lost as on the flip, Earth Loop (who's Firework track really deserves a play!) take on a much deeper progressive track, with some cool percussion, some nice synth parts and spaced out FX along with vocals which are affected and add to the track, this is sheer quality and out of the two tracks on offer this is definitely worth a play. I wonder what the Trance mixes that are to follow will be like!

Next Evolution - You Love Me Too (Shoot The Sun)
This record is a slice of funky house on FTM Records in Holland's Shoot The Sun label. The A side mix starts off with a tribal drum pattern and then builds into a really funky disco influenced bassline and has a quite good synth riff before going into vocals which repeat the title. Some filtering occurs in the track but nothing else really grabs interest to be honest. It's not bad but not really my sort of thing. The B Side mix is very similar to the A side except I do not think that the vocals are as prominent in this mix as they are on the A Side one. Still this mix isn't that bad either and to be honest if the tracks had just that little bit more in I'm sure they would sound that bit better and do quite well. Check it out if you are a fan of Funky House music.

Timecode - Advance In Life (Resurrection)
This is the first release that's come to my attention on the Dutch Resurrection label and if they are all like this then you can certainly note me as a keen fan. Produced by Timecode, this three tracker is a fine example of the tech house sound that's really doing it for me at the moment. The A side mix starts with a pretty simple bassline and percussion before dropping to a wicked vocal and quality synth underlay that is the main part of the intro to this track. This then drops to a fantastic riff which no doubt will uplift the trance fans among us all too! Quality. The B1 kicks off with a nice funky stab which is played around with over a really cool bassline. The track drops to some excellent strings and the vocal off the A side mix before kicking into a nice riff. The B2 takes on a much deeper slant starting off with some sweeps and building up to something very nice when some chopped up synths come in. A really nice underlay then follows which helps the track feel even more uplifting and all that needs to be said is this is sheer quality. There you have it - 3 Excellent tracks in one. If you like your tech house or progressive then defintely check this one out! Excellent!

Vehemence - Silly Sounds (Combined Forces)
I've been a huge fan of the Combined Forces label for ages and for this release they have enlisted the production talents of "Vehemence" who also produced "Tired Eyes" and "Coming". There are three mixes on offer here with the "Club Mix" of "Silly Sounds" starting off with some cool drums and a nice acidic bassline, this leads into a really cool synth underlay and some very nice strings. Combined with the female vocals on top this sounds really cool. The supersaw riff that follows really works well with the track. On the flip, the "Pounding Pleasure Mix" is a lot more simple and plays around with the supersaw riff before breaking and adding a new riff which really adds a weird twist to things. This is a quite cool track. Finally is the "Orignal Mix" and this starts with a very weird bassline before breaking into a synth riff that the pitch is played around with. This track I am not keen on at all and my advice is to stick with the A side mix as that is very cool.

Project Mayhem - Violent Content (CD-R)
The Brighton Based production team of Sergei Forster-Hall and Kieron McTernan (also known as Project Mayhem) have had a good spell of things recently what with vinyl releases on Hard Trax, 50:50 and Nukleuz. Their latest Promo cd is set to do major damage and when these tracks are pressed up nobody is going to be aware of what has hit them! First up is Psychopath which is an extremely full on hard house track with tough punchy drums, a grinding bassline that really does the damage and a relentless take no prisoner feel to it. Definitely a very impressive track. Next up is the awesome "Violent Content" which has received hype from all the other people who this CD has gone out to. This one takes on some wicked drum programming, excellent synth underlays and a riff that does major damage on first listen. This one needs to be checked out! Finally on this CD is "Ghosts" which is a co-production with Harry Diamond. This track is a quite cool one with some nice percussion and some cool synth ideas but overall I do not feel that it is as good as the other two tracks on this CD. All in all it will be interesting to see where these tunes end up as with the huge label interest so far big things lie ahead for this team! Excellent.

K90 - Red Snapper (Recover)
Recover return with another production by K90 (also known as Mark Doggett). I am still recovering (no pun intended there) from the shock of "Breathe" and in my opinion Recover couldn't have done a better thing than get Jon Doe in to remix the track. This first surfaced as Telica 26 and has been K90's best seller to date so already you know you are in for a treat. His mix starts with a simple kick and some bleeps before going into a manic bassline which is filtered with. A quality synth underlay that's pretty much typical Jon Doe style comes in and the track drops to a mental riff which is what you've come to expect judging by past productions. The track kicks back in andat this made me quickly turn up the volume. What a stomper of a track. On the flip "Wavestorm" deliver a less frantic number, with some cool percussion, a nice bassline and an odd synth underlay the track introduces into the riff and breaks down. Launching into a breakbeat before kicking in again this mix is OK but is nothing compared to the quality A side. Stick with that and you can not go wrong at all. Another excellent Recover release and with some very promising material lined up things look very good indeed!

Katana - Fancy Fair Remixes (Jinx UK)
You don't know how please I am that this one has returned. First surfacing in August last year, Katana (who's popularity I reckon will explode by the end of the year) have had several plays of this track on Beat 106 Scotland as well as various other Radio Stations accross Europe. It's pleasing to see that the fantastic Original mix is still here but now there are two new mixes provided by DJ Albert and Mac Zimms. DJ Albert's mix takes a more funkier approach and drops the tempo with some stabs from the original over a quite funky arrangement while Mac Zimms goes for overkill with a full blown techno number. Making good use of the main stab riff off the original as well as adding some new elements over some excellent percussion are what make this track so good. A quality remake but in my opinion you can't beat the original. Here's your chance to get it if you missed it first time around so now let's all make sure this gets the success it deserves.

Eon - Pocket Damage (Tsunami)
This track has been the receiver of a fair amount of hype recently. Produced by top Dutch producer Ferry Corsten under his "Eon" alias, what we have here are two slices of uplifting trance that remind me of the 1999 style stuff where every release was excellent. "Pocket Damage" could very easily in my opinion be the "Luis Paras - Incantation" for 2002, with some excellent percussion, a fantastic bassline and very nice key changes, this track leads into a supercharged riff which really works a treat. What more do you need to be convinced about. On the flip "Talk To Me" is a more progressive influenced track that is simple in arrangement yet has some very nice chord changes and a cool rhythm that should keep the deeper fans happy. Yet another succesful Tsunami release, will there be no stopping this label?! Check it out when released.

System F - Dance Valley Remixes (Tsunami Special Blend)
For a summer release, Tsunami Special Blend have done in my opinion a very wise thing. The excellent "Dance Valley" by System F returns with mixes provided by UK DJ Tom Harding (who is also the resident of Dance Valley in Holland) and Vince Fontaine. Tom Harding's mix takes a nice techno influenced version of the Original mix. His mix ends up not actually having a main riff and just concentrating on the excellent bassline from the Original over some twisted percussion and this makes for a fantastic result. On the flip, Vince Fontaine slows the pace down and adds some really weird synth parts over his arrangement which really put me off this mix. Apart from that it's not that bad but I wouldn't recommend it compared to the excellent A-Side. All in all here are two mixes of varying degree and I personally would stick with the Tom Harding mix. Another quality Tsunami Special Blend release!

Oceanlab - Clear Blue Water (Code Blue)
I've been a fan of the Warner owned Code Blue label for ages now and no doubt "Devils Must Be Angels" by DJ Echo and "Someone" by "Ascension" are two of my favourite tunes ever. Now they return with this production by Jono Grant, Paavo Siljamaki (of Anjunabeats fame) and Tony McGuiness under their "Oceanlab" guise. The Original mix is a very uplifting trancer with some fantastic percussion, a cool bassline and a really nice synth underlay. Add to this the vocals provided by "Justine Suissa" and this is a definite winner. At the first break we are treated to some cool strings and a stabby riff which really works well. After that the track takes off and it is evident that these guys do it well every time and I've been saying that for the past two years now! On the flip, Dutch legend Ferry Corsten has provided a remix. His version starts off with some simple percussion before launching into a quite cool bassline and a nice synth underlay, a bit similar to his mix of "Starlight" by "Desiderio". The tune then drops to some gated synths and a supercharged riff comes in over some mental nice strings. Justine's Vocals make an appearence as the track builds up and everything kicks off nicely. The track is very nice and the only fault is it doesn't feel as energetic as I was expecting. However both of these mixes are very good and I would say any trance DJ who overlooks this release doesn't know what he is missing out on. What a fantastic track! Code Blue have excelled themselves yet again.

Bebel Gilberto - So Nice (Warner)
Licensed from Crammed Recordings to Warner Music in the UK, this release by Bebel Gilberto is a two tracker with a funky/tribal house arrangment. With two mixes provided by B.H.Q, also known as Derrick Carter, the "BHQ Vocal Mix" of "So Nice" starts with a cut up drumloop before kicking into Bebel's vocals. The percussion then gets more complex and sounds cool. A nice and funky bassline then comes in with a cool organ part. Nothing much else happens in this mix and it is OK but not that good in my opinion. On the flip things are a little better wth the "B.H.Q Instra Dub Mix" being an instrumental of the Vocal mix provided for those, like me, who aren't that keen on the vocals. This two tracker is OK and no doubt fans of the funky stuff will love this but it is not really for me. Check out www.bebelgilberto.com for more information.

Simple Minds - Cry Remixes (Absolutely)
This release is an odd one. I know there have been a few Simple Minds tracks redone recently, for example "Theme From Great Cities" and "Belfast Child", but Phunk Investigation have decided to do a rework of "Cry". Kicking off with the "Clubinvest Mix", this mix starts with a simple synth pattern and some cool percussion before building into the guitar riff from the orginal. This mix doesn't really do much for me to be honest. The "Phunk Investigation Radio Edit" is identical to the Clubinvest mix except shorter for radio play, in my opinion the vocal ruins this mix. The "Dubinvest Mix" I don't mind so much to be honest as it has some cool percussion and is a long progressive number but again it doesn't really do much for me. Finally "Tazz's Glasgoal Mix" is quite cool, taking a different slant to the other mixes and adding some nice sweeping synths and stabs. This is my favourite of the four mixes and I recommend you check it out when released.

Phunk Investigation - Be Good (Absolutely)
Absolutely Recordings in Italy sure have been busy with four releases this month. Phunk Investigation are behind this release too with vocals provided by David Randolph. The "Clubinvest Mix" is a reasonably good vocal house track with some cool stabs and a chuggy rhyhm but has some parts which I do not like so much. The "Psychodubinvest Mix" turns things a little funkier with some awesome keyboard work and wicked filtering. Again the percussion is top notch and I really rate this mix. Finally is the "Funkdubinvest Mix" which is nine minutes of dark and twisted tribal house. With a weird bassline and some dark rhythm programming this is indeed music intended for nightfall! All in all here are three quite weird funky house tracks all of which vary and I am quite impressed. Good stuff.

Taormina - Floating World (Absolutely)
The second release on Absolutely this month comes from Taormina, thats the only information I have. "The Floating World" starts off with some cool strings and a simple underlay before kicking into a nice percussion loop and strange bassline. A square wave synth underlay leads into the main riff, which I swear i've heard before on a TV show but can't for the life of me remember where. That's all that really happens on this mix and it is quite cool. The one problem I have with it is that it fades out which will mean problems for those trying to mix with it but apart from that it is very cool. Nice one Absolutely.

Subscribe - Horror House 2001 (Absolutely)
For their fifth release, Absolutely Records in Italy provide this four tracker. Produced by the oddly named "Subscribe". Kicking off with the "G-Men Welcome In The Mix" interpretation of "Horror House 2001", what we have here is a very strange track indeed. Having a very cool bassline over some funky percussion and nice guitar stabs, this is designed for fans of the funkier side of things. The "Dark Side Of The Club Mix" reminds me a bit of a track by Laurent Garnier or Daft Punk, a nice twisted progressive tune which no doubt will be played by Pete Tong or Seb Fontaine. The break where everything is filtered sounds really nice. On the flip, first up is the "Taz Remix" which to be honest doesn't really do much for me at all. Being very weird yet upbeat this isn't really that different to the other two mixes and finally the "Dubside Mix" is very cool and has a tough chuggy rhythm which works well over the bassline and stabs on this mix. Altogether four quite cool funky house tracks that will no doubt do well on the weirder dancefloors.

Unknown - Rabbit Hole (W/L)
Straight out of nowhere in Today's post is this Test Pressing. Apparently this originates from the UK but whether that is true or not I don't know. From the title you can see that this track samples the smash film "The Matrix". On side A we are treated to a nice trance track with some cool percussion, odd fx here and there as well as a cool bassline. This drops to a Toybox melody and the "Red Pill Blue Pill" vocal that has been used to death in my opinion. The track breaks to a very nice Piano melody and some wicked synths that really work a treat. The only problem is that it is a little slow in my opinion. On the flip, there is a remix which I think is a little bit weaker. Starting with a cool bassline and reasonably good percusison, the track breaks into a riff similar to that of "Zombie Nation" and then goes into a breakbeat. After this I'm not convinced at all and my advice is to stick with the A side as that is very good. I get the feeling this one will be quite rare so try to find a copy when released.

Telescope - Melody (Fluid)
This record comes from the Fluid sublabel of Hypocrite Recordings (who provided us with the excellent "Demons" by "D+A") based in Sweden. Produced by Telescope, also known as the teaming of Anders and Oscar, this three tracker has a variety of mixes all covering the different styles of trance. First up is the "Spacecorn Remix" which reminds me a little of a production by Minimalistix. Starting with a shuffly drumloop over a relentless Kick and bassline before launching into a cool synth underlay this mix starts really well. The high pitch riff sounds a little cheesy but isn't noticeable on this mix so much. The track breaks to let the riff come in and everything sounds cool on this mix. First up on the flip is the "Nightflow Mix" which starts with a rolling bassline along with a very nice synth underlay and percussion. The track drops to some nice strings and unfortunately includes the High pitched riff which really is awful and sounds like a cross between sweep off "Sooty + Friends" trying to speak and a Kazoo. Shocking, but the mix is ok without that. Finally the "Extended Mix" kicks off really well with a cool bassline and excellent percussion before launching into a nice supercharged riff along with some cool strings and vocals of "I hear the Melody... Calling out for me". A very nice synth underlay follows and the track drops to a breakbeat which sounds really cool. Things build up nicely and the track kicks off again, this mix is very uplifting and would be really ten times better without the High pitched riff that appears on the other mixes. Apart from that this is a belter of a track that deserves to go far! Excellent, definitely the best of the three. Look out for this track when released as I am sure it will do quite well. It's all Wicked!

Louk