Music Reviews - March 2003 Posted by Alan from Testube Babies on Feb 28, 2003 - 9:17:00 PM

March 2003
Music Reviews

By Alan from THE TESTUBE BABIES

NOWHERE BOYS “FEEL IT” (TOOLBOX RECORDINGS)

Hot off the heels from “feel the friction”, toolbox returns with its latest offering “feel it” by south coast duo The Nowhere Boys. First up is the original mix which chugs along nicely with some good skippy percussion and builds leading on to a frenzy of filtered synths and dark stabs. In the break it unleashes a dark but uplifting riff with some nice key changes, then kicks back in with a nice groove which should keep the clubbers happy. On the remix duties is Toolbox front man Nik Denton. Nik takes this track to another level with his fierce, rolling, techy efforts. Wicked layered percussion and a phat rolling bassline followed by some dirty stabs. The main riff filters cleverly throughout the track while leading into the break, clever builds and use of the riff drive this track into a climax to kick back in with a nice tough minimal groove. Definitely a must have if you like it tough!!

Clubtheworld rating 4/5.

JON LANGFORD “CONFESS” (RECHARGE)

So jon Langford of knuckleheadz fame makes his debut on recharge with his first solo release, and what a cool track it is!!! Some cool percussion and a funky ass bassline start the track in true Knuckleheads style. Then along come some snappy stabs, this rolls us on to the break where those earlier introdued stabs transform into a heavy hard trance riff. Then add some full on strings and you get a breakdown which work superb. With some clever drum rolls we are led back into the thick of it! Wicked stuff, we like this one!

On the flip Justin Bourne is on the remix, Justin takes this track a bit more towards the harder dancefloors with a kick drum that almost knocks you out,  some wicked percussion and a techy feel. After the intro, the bassline drops taking this track that little bit further. The track continues to build nicely and then cleverly reveals some wicked filtered hoovers, then leading on to the break where some swirling vocals take over and work in conjunction with the hoovers, then soon enough we kick back in nice and hard. As you may have noticed, the hoover seems to be sneaking back over the last few months and so it should. Believe me if this track is anything to go by then they will be back with avengence !! Excellent!!

Clubtheworld rating 5/5.

SIMON EVE + DMF “GENESIS/AFFRAY (RECHARGE)

Recharge boss Simon Eve teams up with DMF for this hot two-header. Genesis is my favourite of the two with its fast paced feel and tense bass, dark stabs and use of the filtered riff. This track drops into the break with a familiar sounding acid loop, then drops its killer riff which drives back into the track with wicked key changes and a chunky overall groove.

Affray is of a similar nature but much deeper and darker. These two tracks can be miss leading to your average tune stopper as the titles bear no links to the tracks them selves! Genesis with its “hardcore, hardcore” vocal and affray’s “hit em with this” making it difficult to pin point. Good stuff.

Clubtheworld rating 3/5.

STEVE HILL “MY LOVIN” (TRIPOLI TRAX)

“My Lovin” positively reeks of Steve Hills bouncy party music style. On the A side, things kick of with a driving bass drum straight away before the vocal “don’t you want me” fades up into the tune as the pace picks up. Trainspotters may recognise the sample from the old Deconstruction Records classic by Felix “Don’t you Want me” that came out back in ’92 and was a huge success all over the world. Into the main break, and some gentle chords ease you into what’s to come, overlaid with that sample again until a single unbroken high note carries you into a big hands in the air build up that rips into a main riff positively splattered with energy…nice!!

On the flip, we have a 2003 update of Steve Hills old track “Wicked” original release on his "Hot Potato" label. This track has really changed from the original with a totally different breakdown and he’s kicked the BPM in to touch! Expect a harder Kumara mix in the future! Top notch!!

Clubtheworld rating 3/5.

JP + JUKESY “HOW I FEEL” (PASSION RECORDS)

The afterssential boys JP + JUKESY make their debut on the production front with a wicked hard as nails banger on the passion imprint. Passion is one of the few labels at the mo that are putting out some real good quality banging business, hopefully we can expect more of it this year!!! How I Feel starts with a cocktail or skippy percussion and tough kicks leading on to drop a fearsome off beat bassline. Then come the sweeping stabs and sharp groaning hoovers, this leads us to the break where the hoover frenzy begins. Clever use of the vocals and builds in the break bring this track up to a hoover laden climax which shoots right through you!!! Really banging business, expect more from this due in the near future!!! Filthy stuff!

Clubtheworld rating 4/5.

ILOGIK “MY LIFE” (ELASTICMAN)

 This is the first solo outing for Ilogik since the huge 'Check This Out'.

'My Life' kicks in just the same way and has been terrorizing dancefloors all over the world on acetate from those lucky enough to have it on CD. It has received huge support from Lisa Lashes but then again she is the only one that has actually had a copy up until now. The main track pumps along with wicked synths and a very familiar vocal throughout, coming into the break it drops some phat strings which really give the track a lift. Then the big uplifting riff is let out of its cage to grab all those waiting for it. Nicely done!!

On the flip side of the original is the remix from the legendary Paul Janes of Tidy Trax fame. Paul takes the remix down a typically dark route and comes up trumps.

A floorfiller through out, this release is going to be another huge hit for Ilogik and Elasticman.

Clubtheworld rating 4/5.

F1 “CUZ IM ROCKIN EP” (TRIPOLI TRAX)

This is a classic package of remixes of true hard dance anthems.

F1's seminal 'Cuz I'm Rockin' gets the remix treatment it deserves, being one of the most requested back catalogue items to re-press. F1 is Paul King, who has recorded under the guises of Pants & Corset, Trauma (for Tidy Trax) and Terrence and Philip.

James Lawson, of Edison Factor fame, has been drafted to remix this hard dance classic, having turned out some great remixes recently for the likes of Nukleuz and Honey Pot. Paul Glazby asked to remix 'Recoil' as it was the first track he bought that got him into the hard dance genre in 1997. Hard trance stalwarts Steve Blake and Phil Reynolds remix the seminal 'Can't Stop Won't Stop', fresh from the release of their 'Phase 2' on Tripoli Trax.

A must for the record box!! Wicked stuff!!

Clubtheworld rating 5/5.

JON RUNDELL + SAM REEVE “BANG” (RETEK RECORDS)

Well, here we go again with another storming Retek release! Number 4 in the series and the return of Jon Rundell + Sam Reeve after their runaway success with ‘Africaine’ late last year. As with previous releases this concentrates more on the ‘techier’ side if things and will devastate the more open-minded floors. The track begins with a staggered kick drum, which makes it instantly recognisable in the mix, along with some great percussion. The bass line is as funky as fu*k and will even have your granny bobbing her head, its that good, honestly! Now the track begins to build nicely by the bar with some reversed kicks, flanged percussion and some wicked sound effects. This takes us nicely to the breakdown where the drums are used to full effect and a phased synthy sound is added over the top. After a brief build up everything crashes back in to make one hell of a drop! This really goes off after the break and sounds awesome on a nice big system! This track is highly versatile and could be played at any time of the night.
The only problem I have with this release is what side to play! Over onto the flip and we’re treated to a real pumped up remake from the man of the moment Paul Maddox. Paul has had a great year or so and is now considered one of the finest new producers on the scene, with a string of huge releases on Tidy Trax as well as mixing the Insomnia 3 album. This latest remix is, like the original, a fresh, experimental affair and this will go down a treat on the harder floors. Some cool percussion gives a tribally feel from the word go, and some sound effects fill it out nicely in the mix before the bass-line comes in. Paul creates an original vibe with the bass-line by placing it on the kick drum, which works really well in this case. We go into a short breakdown after the intro where the vocal is introduced along with some almost eery pads, which give a nice dark, sinister feel! Out of the breakdown and the track is now moving along nicely. Some cool open hi-hats are used well and the drums are doubled up to enhance that tribal feel and give the track a nice lift. As we enter the main breakdown the eery pads make a welcome return along with some wicked drums! Percussion is layered in and laser like sound effects are used, increasing in pitch as we near the drop. After the drop the laser sounds, the vocal and the drums are all chopped up to create a real techy, drive. It’s so refreshing to hear some exciting and ground breaking musical ideas, and it’s cool that there are other producers out there who aren’t scared to push a few boundaries! A wicked release!

Clubtheworld rating 5/5.

If you would like any of your tracks to be reviewed on clubtheworld.com then please feel free to drop me an email at alan@testubebabies.co.uk. Cd or vinyl preferred please.