Former member of the well known Public Domain project
David Forbes is now having his fourth release on
Fraction Records. In the past David has had releases on an impressive list of labels including Eve, Armada, Oxygen, Full Tilt, Detox, Vandit Digital, Reset and Monster Tunes. His style is usually euphoric, uplifting and/or techy. He has also shown a softer side of himself with one of his latest remixes which he did for Pulser on Maelstrom (one to check out!). On this record there is two original mixes, a remix by the boys from Austin, Texas known as
Tritonal and
Tom Sela & Harris Briggs who released "The Day Will Come" on Fraction last year.
Original Mix / Sunrise MixThe previous Fraction releases from David have all been tight but still not revolutionary in any way. And he does play a safe card here but the production speaks for itself. It has the right ingredients and the build-up is effective. I had a bit of a nostalgic moment as the chord progression reminded me of the old F&W productions from around 2004 - and that certainly is a compliment by the way. There is also a
Sunrise Mix to go with the release which is basicly "Sunrise" in an aggressive form with a much brighter melody.
Tritonal's 'Air Up There' MixThis one is bit of a techy affair from Tritonal which is something new as far as I know. The mix does still have the 'classic' airy, light and melodic Tritonal atmosphere that they are known to put accross in their 'Air Up There' mixes. I think the distorted lead they pull off is a little too much to be honest and it reminds me of the stuff we see all the time from labels like Reset. The melodic touches and the vocals that they add here and there still makes this a worthy remix. Not completely convinced yet not dissapointed.
Tom Sela & Harris Briggs RemixI might as well lay down my cards; this is without a doubt the most appealing and interesting mix on this release. The mix kicks off well from the beginning with breakbeat percussion and a windy atmosphere in the background. The nice little unique perc shots are nice details and with them, the big main bass kicks in. An acid line starts to build - slowly - and rises graduatly, and this combination of bass, dark haunting melodies, percussion and acid is just pure orgasm. As well is the occasional delayed hi hats/cymbals/synth shots (whatever it may be) that wanders accross the track. In the break we get the full breakbeat spectrum and it works quite well - kinda wondering if the setup is completely homemade or if it was sampled. After the break it's back to acid and the track slowly fades elegantly.
VerdictOverall a good release from Fraction. The Tom Sela & Harris Briggs Remix is by far the best. I think the boys have spent an awful lot of hours in the studio on this one and it paid off in my opinion. It's a very slow yet exciting remix and probably too slow for the mainstream crowd. So I basicly expect most people to disagree with me on this one but it really is good and at first I thought 9 minutes would be overkill but it is well-structured and well-produced not to mention it breaks with the norms of todays scene. I'm guessing the boys has got a lot of their inspiration from some of the stuff Way Out West, Digweed and Sasha played some years ago. Excellent remix -
9,5/10. David's Sunrise Mix also isn't half bad. His melody works and his production skills should make this suitable for the club.
Exclusives available from 28 JulyFraction Records
