V/A - Prime Cuts

DeathPosture · June 22, 2006

V/A – Prime Cuts

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Hi-res cover: front + back

Artist: Various

Title: Prime Cuts

Format: CD (jewel case)

Label: Beef Records (Czech Republic)

Cat. #: BEEFCD001

Distribution: Wirikuta

Date: May 2006

Track listing:

01. 08’02” Love Boat - Bootyooty

02. 07’02” Petersky – Fuck Them All (Oliverio & MOS Remix)

03. 07’22” Mathias Schaffhäuser – Coincidance (Trentemøller Remix)

04. 06’51” D-Nox – Seven Hours (Martinez Apocalypse Now Mix)

05. 06’48” Shuma - Rustyrobots

06. 09’02” D. Sens – Just Can’t Without U

07. 06’24” Alex Kenji – Cyborg (Original Mix)

08. 07’56” Frederico Giust - The End Is Getting Closer (James Harcourt Remix)

09. 08’00” D.Sens & Motion – In Motion ‘N’ Sickness

10. 08’14” Silky Jack vs. Marcos Salo – Breakfast At Deca

Review:

Electro panic!

Beef Records is a newly established sub-label to the Czech progressive power-house label Tribal Vision… This sub label will focus primarily on electro and electro-soaked music – a style that seems to be becoming increasingly popular and has recently crossed over in to more mainstream club territory… Anyway, I know a couple of the artists listed here – but most of them are completely new to me… Let’s have a listen…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: Love Boat – Bootyooty [128 BPM]

Love Boat is Danish producer Jakob Ernst Ilsøe (aka Jokke from True To Nature) & Renata Carrocelli Kleber. Together they’ve made a futuristic, minimalist booty-shaker of a track… And by minimalist, I mean really minimal – despite the seemingly many layers and the subtle progression, this track is simply too lo-fi for my tastes… It’s not bad, but it’s not great either… It’s so-so!

#02: Petersky – Fuck Them All (Oliverio & MOS Remix) [127 BPM]

Petersky is young producer Piotr Wozniak – and his explicit track is reworked by MOS (Manuel Sofia from Argentina) and Oliverio (Oliverio Sofia also from Argentina I presume!?). Anyway, this is a much more interesting track then the opener… Despite the lower BPM, this seems like a faster track and the rich electro seems much more refined – and the real treat here is the hilarious robotic samples… I think my fellow reviewer Aje coined it best when he said ‘theres nothing like a robot with tourettes synrome’… Haha, that’s true! Sweet track that would also work when dropped in sets of other styles… Would mix perfectly with *that* Meller tune… I like it!

#03: Mathias Schaffhäuser – Coincidance (Trentemøller Remix) [128 BPM]

Mathias Schaffhäuser is the extremely productive label boss of the minimal electronics label Ware – he has released a gazillion tracks, EPs and CDs and this one was originally on the album of the same name released in 2005. On here it’s being remixed by none other than Danish sensation Anders Trentemøller who is currently one of Denmark’s hottest dance music exports… And I gotta hand it to the guy, he sure knows how to turn those knobs just right… This track is so simple, yet so incredibly deep… The white noise static is a little masterpiece in its own right! This is über-electronica which is equally old-school and futuristic… It’s the perfect hybrid! Totally groovy and totally hypnotic!

#04: D-Nox – Seven Hours (Martinez Apocalypse Now Mix) [125 BPM]

D-Nox (Christian Wedekind) is one of the Germany’s most talented progressive DJs… He’s also a producer and I’ve especially enjoyed his output made with Franck Beckers… This remix by Martinez (Martin Swanstein) was originally released on wax on Electribe Records in 2005… Anyway, this track has richer progressive trance elements than some of the previous choons – though it’s still very much an electro groover… I like the subtle percussion and the tighter, groovier pads here… A nice little crossover tune!

#05: Shuma – Rustyrobots [128 BPM]

I really liked Shuma’s (Emir Cehaic & Davor Tosovic from Croatia) original version of Illektro featured on the Tribal Vision compilation Lime Light – that track encompassed a really phat and edgy blend of progressive trance and electro… And so does this one! Old-school analogue bliss meets modern rhythm progression… And what a clash of the titans this is! This is huuuge, wall-to-wall electro-slash-crossover bliss… Instantly funky and downright groovy! Awesome!

#06: D. Sens – Just Can’t Without U [125 BPM]

D.Sens is Frenchman Matthieu Delepeau known for his involvement in Luna Spice and Cosmosquad… I wasn’t particularly taken with his track off the 2005 VP Records compilation Inspirazzia… Luckily this track is better… We’re still somewhere in between deep, raw progressive trance and fluffy electro… I like the distorted vox and the sharp contrasts – and all in all this is a subtle groover… Good without being amazing...

#07: Alex Kenji – Cyborg (Original Mix) [126 BPM]

Alex Kenji is an alias used by Alessandro Bacci who apparently made it to #1 on the Beatport sales charts… And I can understand why – this track is smoking! We’re going back to purer electro now and this is a very pumping, old school sounding track… The poor Japanese-robot pronunciation of ‘cyborg’ is hilarious and the drum programming is absolutely tight… Nicey nice!

#08: Frederico Giust - The End Is Getting Closer (James Harcourt Remix) [126 BPM]

This Frederico Giust track remixed by James Harcourt was released as an mp3 EP on Adjust Recordings in 2005 – and now it’s available on plastic for the first time… This is another pretty damn groovy electro ripper that’s packed with all the usual ingredients… Banging basslines and old school synth experimentation tied up in a nice, subtle, groovy package… The reverbs and the vocals are pretty cool. All in all, this track isn’t bad at all… Especially the final rundown is frekkin’ sweet!

#09: D.Sens & Motion – In Motion ‘N’ Sickness [125 BPM]

Matthieu Delepeau is back – now joined by fellow Frenchman Motion (Vincent Courcot of Tetraktys fame). And what a track these guys have conjured up for us… Allegedly! Actually this track is somewhat of a disappointment. I mean it doesn’t turn out to be quite what it set out to be… It starts with phat reverbs soaked in a melodic crossover bonanza between rich electro and subtle progressive trance influences! Basically – very, very nice! But as the track progresses it looses both focus and energy and towards the end it’s but a shadow if it’s playful self. What kind of weird, inverted progression is that? What a shame…

#10: Silky Jack vs. Marcos Salo – Breakfast At Deca [130 BPM]

Silky Jack and Marcos Salo is actually the same person: Jurgen Van Geert… And Jurgen takes things a step further… We’re still in electro territory, but instead of the support of groovy progressive trance, we’re now drawing closer to the unmistakable sound of pure techno… So yeah, it’s another weird hybrid – not really what I expected, but at least it’s different from the rest… But I’m not sure how much I like it… And the vocals also bug me… Another so-so track I’m afraid…

I didn’t really know what to expect from this release – and I’m still not sure exactly what to think of this compilation… On the plus side there are a lot of great tracks here – and my indication of fav’e tracks below indicates at least a couple of very good tracks – and a handful of nice tracks too! Also the cover art + informative booklet are absolutely awesome… As usual with Tribal Vision! Hats off for all that!

On the downside, a lot of these tracks sound too damn similar… And I’m not sure how much playtime even the stand-out tracks are gonna get in my stereo. It might be because I’m an electro n00b who needs a revelation, but that doesn’t change the fact that this compilation would have benefited from even more variation… The ventures into trance, progressive trance, house and techno are cool – but I want more!

But I do not despair… These Prime Cuts are hopefully the first of many, and once Beef Records find their steady place in the electro scene I’m sure many bright moments are ahead… I hope so! Electro fans obviously need to check this out – and progressive trance fans with vertical taste will most definitely also find something to their liking here… Enjoy!

Favourites: 2, 3(!), 4, 5(!!), 7, 8,

DeathPosture

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