Page 57 - Zone Magazine Issue 015

Obscure Shape & SHDW - Himmel Und Erde [Rekids] - Zone Rating- 8/10
You've heard me rave about these for quite some time, what with them being single of the month last issue with the wicked Dax J version (and a whole bunch of other remixes) of their From Another Mind 004 release. Here they produce a rather stunning three tracker for Rekids and all three are the usual production finesse you can expect from the Teutonic duo! 'Himmel Und Erde' is a charismatic techno number that oozes energy from the offset and is about as peak time as you can get, while 'Am Ende Der Welt' and 'Gefallene Engel' also keep up the charm and deliver warm synth stabs that are funked beyond belief! Quality stuff from the Rekids camp. http://classic.beatport.com/track/himmel-und-erde-original-mix/9317848
Saytek - Saytek Live Volume 1 [Detone] - Zone Rating - 8/10
London's Saytek finds his way onto the ever consistent Detone label (owned by Underworld's very own Darren Emerson). As the name suggests, here he features six unique techno workouts that have featured in his livesets. All six are varied but retain the funky elements for which he is known and it is the tracks '18 Locks' and 'Octave Shift' that are the highlights of the whole EP. '18 Locks' has a standout synth pad that is morphed as the track progresses with broken techno percussion, while 'Octave Shift' goes for the jugular and is frenetic but can still adapt to either the peak time set of a festival or later on in a warm up. https://www.beatport.com/release/saytek-live-vol-1-ep/2022352
Monoline - Speech Cobras [Seance] - Zone Rating - 7/10
Seance deliver their fourth vinyl release this time from Holland's Monoline, who have released their fair share of high quality gems over the years. Here on 'Speech Cobras' they have a wealth of originals but it is the remix from Argentina's Flug that instantly gained my attention. All the usual Flug production hallmarks are there, a building bass groove that is as sinister as it is effective and detailed drum programming from the very go, but there is something about this particular remix that makes this appeal to me more than his recent material. This went straight in my box for immediate club and radio play, top work Seance. http://classic.beatport.com/track/speech-cobras-original-mix/9239647
Slam - Soma 25 Remixes [Soma] - Zone Rating - 8/10
As part of their 25 year anniversary, Soma have enlisted a whole stack of awesome originals from some of the leading names of the scene, and also asked many of the new breed of producers to remix their back catalogue. On a recent set about ten tracks from their remixes and 25th anniversary package ended up on my USB stick and rightly so. Oscar Mulero's effort on reworking their 1995 hit 'Stepback' was the highlight of them all. Regular readers will note I am a huge fan of Mulero and he manages to tastefully interpret the original, keeping the very cool elements that made it so good, but also add a modern production twists and depth that made this one instantly playable. https://www.beatport.com/release/soma-25-remixes/2012600
Endlec - New York Trax Imports 002 [New York Trax] - Zone Rating - 8/10
Another issue another wicked New York Trax record! This time from Greece's Endlec who provides the second release on their imports subdivision (after the awesome Another Alias & Dawid Dahl). These are as instant as you can get and certainly take no prisoners with all four featuring high levels of distortion and rather weighty kick drums. 'Rhythm 393' was the instant favourite, sounding very similar to someone distorting my printer when it prints but turning the track into an effective warehouse number! 'Rhythm 387' also is worthy of a mention because of its' awesome grinding synth underlay that you know are going to tweak some heads come 4 am. https://newyorktrax.bandcamp.com/album/new-york-trax-02
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