The First of Many . . .

British summer time started today, and it's been a nice day in Suffolk. Hard to believe that this was the scene outside my bedroom window on Easter Sunday.

Blogging is overrated. Not to worry. Here's a couple of reviews. There'll be more in the next week or so . .

Title: Sometimes I Cry
Artist: Mr G
Label: O Proof
Genre: Techno With Minimal Fuss

A: Sometimes I Cry
B: Sometimes I Cry (Radio Slave remix)

For his second O Proof release, Mr G enlists the remixing skills of Radio Slave. Josh Wink first, Radio Slave now, we're building up a nice head of steam here. Making great club tracks with a minimum of fuss has always been Colin McBean's trademark and he doesn't let the side down here. It's the constant building that I love about this stuff, plus the delicate atmospherics that make these sinister beasts on the dancefloor. The sampled wailing woman underpinned by a dirty throbbing bass alongside the Detroitish stabs that never quite come out of the darkness. Radio Slave's remix lacks the effortless swing of the original and does seem a bit leaden by comparison, but it works well in it's own way with a nice use of intermittent dynamics that occasionally push and pull the track to understated new levels of satisfaction. Keep it up!




Title: Smooth Sailing
Artist: Shaka
Label: Corner
Genre: House

A: Smooth Sailing (feat. Lena Fennell)
B1: Bubblebomb
B2: Smooth Sailing Dirty Funk-Tech remix (Breandan Davey)

The first thing I thought of when listening to "Smooth Sailing" was Matthew Herbert and Dani Siciliano. It's a quirky, jazz-inspired track that gently jacks along. It's a refined piece of listening but I'm struggling to decide if this is necessarily a good thing. Personally it's a little too refined for me. Good for the warm-up but a little bit too wine barish. "Bubblebomb" is more interesting. A syncopated piece of squelch-funk with some interesting sonic overtones. Similarly paced to "Smooth Sailing," this is house with a capital H. Mark Farina would like this one. Breandan Davey's "Dirty Funk Tech remix" of the title track largely dispenses with the vocal, bringing it in on a loop a couple of minutes from the end. "Dirty" is a little too strong a word for it though. "Soiled" is probably closer to the truth.

Three tracks that each subtly differ from each other, but they all feel a little too sanitized to my ears.