Ken Ishii - Extra (R&S)
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Excellent 12" with remixes from some of the leading lights of the electronic
scene. Ishii's original track is pretty good, interesting loops and structure
(and superb Manga-style video, I'm told), but it's the remixes that really shine
here. Luke Slater reworks it into a throbbing, blasting techno cut, very
floor-friendly with blistering percussion. Dave Angel, man of the moment, works
his 909 magic and adds his trademark melodic analogue loops and pads. A very
typical production from a fine artist. Finally, Luke Vibert weirds it out in
style, going for the drum 'n' bass angle but leaving enough electronic trickery
from the original to keep the interest of non-junglists.
Carlito - Heaven (Creative Source 1)
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But talking of drum'n'bass, this is a prime example of how it should be done.
Is it Bukem? Whoever it is, 'Heaven' is a masterpiece of modern mellow jungle -
exquisite strings, subtle vocal snippets and the best Rhodes chords since E-Z
Rollers' 'Believe'. No overused amen breaks, just intricate light rolling beats
chopped to perfection with deep bass. Fabio's label kicks off in style...
St Germain - Alabama Blues (F Communications)
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Ludovic Navarre continues the 'Boulevard' concept with this deep house track.
Four mixes to choose from, two from Navarre and two from Todd Edwards. The
latter ruins the vibe of the original and turns it into a cheesey disco-cut-up
style garage tune, but Navarre's mixes keep it deep. Blues vocal snippets and
typically crisp production make this a serious head-nodder.
More to come next week (I might even get round to doing some albums)...
see ya
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tom churchill e-mail: tom@chrchfam.demon.co.uk
electronic musician/dj
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