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SIREN - BREAK WITH YOU.
DSK - WHAT WOULD WE DO. This reinvented and revamped classic from years gone by gets the treatment courtesy of the Sol Bros, Industry Standard and Grant Nelson. All mixes are on the currently large speed garage tip (oops! I meant UK Garage tip). Sol Bros provide an all too obvious mix that smells of cheddar, whilst Industry Standard cop out of any real work by laying the vocal over one of their previous dubs. As for the Grant Nelson mix - forget it. Very uninspiring - a classic that should be left a classic. 4/10 SEMI-DETACHED - BASSLINE/TOUGH CONDUCTOR Second release for Boom Box records and what a cracker it is to. A tough breakbeat monster with more breaks than the JB’s drum section. Been around for a few weeks now but so cool it deserves a review. An outstanding couple of dance floor friendly breakbeat tracks that will have them whooping and hollering until the end. This 12" puts shame to the majority of releases from the big beat genre that appears to be losing itself in an increasingly broadening definition. Putting the breakbeat back into big beat (yippee!). 8/10 V/A - DEEPER SHADES OF HOOJ. Its not often that a label warrants the release of a double pack LP, but lets face it, over the last 12 months nearly every Hooj Choon release has gained anthemic status. And deservedly so. From the sublime ‘Beachball’ by Nalin and Kane to the thumpin’ sound of ‘Gamesmaster’ by Lost Tribe - every track’s a winner giving the overall effect of pure quality. Also included is the excellent ‘Everytime’ by Lustral and Energy 52’s ‘Café del Mar’. If you missed any of the aforementioned tracks on 12" then this is an essential purchase. Hooj will inevitably continue their success of dominating the progressive house scene and we can only wait in anticipation of their next offering. 9/10 BEAT FOUNDATION - FOUNDATIONS 2 A welcome return to that unique Skinny Malinky sound that gained them their popularity. All the right ingredients are here for a seriously uplifting epic house knees up. Large piano breaks and arpeggio synth sounds are all held together by a punchy snare and the introduction of a driving funky guitar styled bassline only adds to the brilliance. Unfortunately the b-side pales in comparison but don't ’let that stop you spending your hard earned money on it. I love it. 8/10 SUNSCREEM - CATCH Initially, I thought this triple pack promo would cause the Pulse 8 records office some major headaches when deciding which of the mixes to release. But that soon changed when I found out that allegedly its not being released on vinyl anyway. If this is so then what a mistake, because there isn’t a bad mix in sight. The outstanding mixes would have to be from the consistent Red Jerry and the ever-improving Andy Ling. The latter carrying you off on a journey of typical Ling proportions, whilst Jerry turns in a more commercial edged full on vocal mix that contains more bounce than a pogo stick. Catch is definitely catchy and the girls love it. Destined for the Top 40 - buy it now and play it now while it is still credible to do so. 9/10 PF PROJECT - CHOOSE LIFE Excellent 12" from Positiva that will undoubtedly be massive. Featuring the voice of Ewan Mcgregor from ‘Trainspotting’ we are treated to 3 mixes of chunky house. The original is my fave, simply because it is a no holds barred piece of banging’ hard house. Tour de Force give a Euro flavoured mix that is also rather good and JDS opt for a change in direction (good move) and take on the sounds of big basslines and timestretched voices in their speed garage mix. The Ewan Mcgregor speech from the opening of Trainspotting works so well you could think it was made for the record. 8/10
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