Saafi Brothers - Mystic Cigarettes (Special Mixes of Classic Flavours) [20 track digital bundle]

[Manuser]

Liquid Sound Design

01. On Air (Youth Remix)  07:23
02. Sweet Sirenes (Braincell Remix)  09:20
03. Internal Code Error 930 (The Delta Remix)  07:13
04. Sweet Sirenes (Jam El Mar Remix)  07:19
05. 2046 (The Irresistible Force Remix)  06:49
06. Supervision (Koan remix)  11:05
07. Together in Silence (Kalumet Remix)  07:02
08. Sweet Sirenes (DM-Theory Remix)  08:34
09. 2046 (Eternal Basement Remix)  07:35
10. Internal Code Error 930 (PsyTechProject Remix)  07:04
11. Together in Silence (Backstage Gurus Remix)  06:05
12. 2046 (Bluetech Remix)  06:02
13. Supervision (Ajja Remix)  06:26
14. On Air (Cosmic Orient Remix)  06:48
15. Internal Code Error 930 (JOEY Remix)  09:08
16. Sweet Sirenes (Gabriel Le Mar Remix)  08:21
17. 2046 (Living Light Remix)  08:20
18. Together in Silence (Latin Soldier Remix)  10:32
19. On Air (Lightning & Thunder Remix)  05:54
20. Internal Code Error 930 (Jammin’ Unit Remix)  05:15

Saafi Brothers are delighted to present a remix album of their debut release ‘Mystic Cigarettes’ on Youth’s Liquid Sound Design label. The project presents remixes by Youth, Gabriel Le Mar, Ajja, Bluetech, Braincell, The Delta, Jam El Mar, Living Light, The Irresistible Force, DM-Theory, Eternal Basement, Backstage Gurus and many more. The timeless beats of the  original tracks are projected into the future, guaranteed to get you grooving to their lush soundscapes, but with a fresh twist.

Saafi Brothers’ mystical journey began in 1996 when, inspired by his travels to India, Gabriel Le Mar started a collaboration with Frankfurt-based producers Michael Kohlbecker and Groovetitan. Simon Ghahary signed them to BlueRoom and their debut album ‘Mystic Cigarettes’ quickly made its way into the hearts of music lovers, placing Saafi Brothers among the key artists of the electronic ambient scene.

The 1997 album is a classic for which you can read the reviews here: https://www.psynews.org/forums/topic/35293-saafi-brothers-mystic-cigarettes/

I remember listening to the original album, it was a few years ago, I liked it a lot and if my memory is correct the whole album was ambient / downtempo with a dub approach. Here with the 20 remixes released two decades later, the music is more varied and offers a good bunch of mid-tempo, up-tempo tracks. I like the way this album goes from 4*4 beat to downtempo, breakbeat and psydub style.  

The Braincell remix (track #2) is the first very catchy composition here, it combines a delicious touch of dream trance with sweet acid lines in the background. I was quite surprised to find a remix by The Delta (track #3), but I must say I am not familiar with the most recent EP released, anyway the style is morning progressive on the housy / techno side and to be honest it's not memorable. The next very good composition is the remix by Jam El Mar (track #4), a mid-tempo but danceable remix, trancy and hypnotic.

The Koan remix (track #6) is a real downtempo journey that stays on the morning side all the way, one of the highlights of this album, it's peaceful and passionate, filled with attractive melody work. Eternal Basement (track #9) brings more energetic trance to the table, a solid effort. 

The remixes by Backstage Gurus (track #11) and a great name of the scene, Bluetech (#12) are both in a similar style to Koan, and they are both amazing, warm, relaxing with dreamy melodies all over. Ajja (track #13) is another big name here who is often praised for his high level production skills, and his remix is unsurprisingly top notch quality, very chill sound but with a more distinct rhythm than the two previous tracks. 

If you are into the dubby stuff, check out the Cosmic Orient remix (#14), and Living Light remix (#17), two well rounded dub tracks, first one is a bit jazzy, and second one is particularly powerful due to a perfect bassline. It delivers the right amount of energy and enough interesting sequences throughout to make it one of my personal favorites.  

The remixes by Joey (track #15) and Kalumet (track #7) are more forgettable up-tempo tracks, danceable but not inspiring enough for me. Latin Soldier however (track #18) offers quite an interesting number, a repetitive yet hypnotic and entrancing track, more on the housy side this time. 

The fact that most original tracks are remixed a total of 3 or 4 times is not too much an issue as the styles delivered in this album are different, distinct to each other. If you enjoyed the original album, you should definitely get this release with an open mind, as this time the music is more dancefloor friendly, yet of course still very relaxing, laid back. While not every up-tempo track convinced me, on the whole it's a quality album that would fit perfectly for an evening on the beach, or in the early hours of a psytrance festival.

Rating: 7.5/10.

Listen / buy: https://liquidsounddesignuk.bandcamp.com/album/mystic-cigarettes-special-mixes-of-classic-flavours-20-track-digital-bundle