Artist: Felix Stone
Title: Solvent feat. Astra
Label: Flextone [FR0038]
Release Date: April 12, 2010
Tracklisting:
01. Original Mix
02. Lunar Shift Remix
03. Parallax Breaks & M_Spark Remix
04. Youthful Implants Remix

If variety is the spice of life, then you’re sure to be in flavor country with this release. There’s definitely something for everyone here, from progressive, to psychedelic, to nu skool. Grab the release on Monday!

Original Mix
After a short radio tuning sample runs its course, “Solvent” switches into a tight broken beat and bubbly bassline. Astra’s vocals are strangely reminiscent of M.I.A. in her “Paper Planes,” but float lightly atop the synths and bass. While the beat, synths and vocals all scream progressive breaks, the bassline is nu skool all the way. Stone’s previous productions have leaned more on the prog side of things, but this track shows he can easily hang with Retroid, Mesmer, and others of the nu-skool-prog fusion ilk.

Lunar Shift Remix
As you might expect, the Lunar Shift take on “Solvent” is harder, faster, and meaner. The breaks are beefed up, the tempo is bumped from 133 to 135 BPM, and the bass is decidedly more wicked. The new synth stabs added into the mix have a slight hardcore feel to them à la Prodigy. On the other hand, the vocals are virtually untouched in this remix, which I feel detracts from the overall production. Though a great tune, I could have done with more toned down vocals or even a dub.

Parallax Breaks & M_Spark Remix
Parallax Breaks and M_Spark make another appearance on Stone’s label, and again it’s a mind-warping, stormer of a tune. Aside from the vocal samples here and there, not much of the original is recognizable at first listen. After a barrage of percussion, pulsating bass, twisted synths, and stutter effects, the breakdown slows things to a crawl. The haunting vocal samples build to a crescendo and the track’s conclusion. This remix gets extra points for harnessing the original’s progginess and transforming it into something I’d say approaches psy-breaks bedlam.

Youthful Implants Remix
No stranger to Flextone Recordings, the youthful Mr. Alex Virr makes yet another star appearance on the label. Sinister bass stabs, sped up vocal samples, and a few new synth lines make for a refreshing change of pace here. While the overall feel of the remix is nu skool breaks with a hint of garage, a dubsteppy breakdown keeps things fresh. Youthful Implants is not one to be pinned down to any genre or sub-genre, and I certainly appreciate that.

Artists: Parallax Breakz, Almaz, M_Spark
Title: Collation EP
Label: Flextone [FR0035]
Release Date: Out now!
Tracklist:
01. Parallax Breakz & Almaz – Collation (Original Mix)
02. Parallax Breakz & M_Spark – Ascending (Original Mix)
03. Parallax Breakz & M_Spark – Ascending (Bubu Breaks Remix)
04. Parallax Breakz & Almaz – Collation (Maxim Kuznyecov’s Acid Cream Breakdown)
05. Parallax Breakz & Almaz – Collation (Phrakture Remix)
06. Parallax Breakz & Almaz – Collation (Maxim Kuznyecov’s Acid Cream Meltdown)

This EP is jam-packed with prog-tastic breaks. I originally intended to have this review out before the release date, but hey–better late than never, right?

Collation (Original Mix)
The title track from these two Ukrainians takes its sweet time to fade into focus, with flanged drums building up the tension and exploding into a full-on breakbeat assault. A little reverb on the second beat stands out slightly (not in a bad way) from an otherwise tight rhythm. Meanwhile, synth stabs and rumbling bass swells duel each other into a frenzy. I really appreciated the clever programming that went into this track, like well placed stutters and filters applied at the intro and breakdown. Definitely more on the subtle side, and not so in-your-face (again, definitely not a bad thing), the original Collation is a serious builder.

Ascending (Original Mix)
Parallax joins forces with yet another Ukrainian artist, M_Spark, on Ascending. This tune ought to be right up label honcho Felix Stone’s alley, as parts of it remind me of his own Makin’ It. Arpeggiated synths, a slick drop on the downbeat, and a host of filters and stutters give the track a moody–if not melancholic–feel.

Ascending (Bubu Breaks Remix)
Bubu’s take on this tune sounds more like a dub than a remix. While much of synth layering has been stripped down, this version instead has beefed up the breakbeat and puts a bit more emphasis on the originally subdued vocal sample. Though not a bad remix, for me it comes off sounding like an older Icey tune with a hint of progginess.

Collation (Maxim Kuznyecov’s Acid Cream Breakdown)
Reminiscent of Kraymon’s recent Papillon Rouge, acid is indeed the key word here in Mr. Kuznyecov’s interpretation. At first listen, it seemed like very little of the original was retained save for the beat. Upon further auditions, however, it became clear that along with the breakbeat, the main synth patches were also ported over. They’re all present here in Maxim’s first remix, but ever so subtly. This is indeed a deconstruction, as the name implies.

Collation (Phrakture Remix)
Canada’s boy wonder takes what is probably the freshest approach to remixing the title track, and it is quite a departure. The bass is deep and dynamic, the synths are lush, and the hi-hats are in high gear. With the reworked melodies and stalls and stutters galore, the influence of BT on Phrakture’s work is clear here (and that’s a good thing). Out of the whole EP, this track arguably has the most energy, for lack of a better word.

Collation (Maxim Kuznyecov’s Acid Cream Meltdown)
More acid from the Russian-born, Budapest-based Kuznyecov, here. But this time it’s in 4/4 format rather than a breakbeat, and the intensity is upped a notch or two. For one, the drop at the end of the final build-up in this version is used much more effectively in a full-on 4/4 rhythm. While not of Three Mile Island proportions, this meltdown does have potential to unleash something fierce on the dancefloor.