Artist: Leuce Rhythms
Title: Headroot (Your Love)
Label: Scarcity [SCAR07]
Release Date: April 26, 2010
Tracklisting:
01. Original Mix
02. Retroid Remix
03. B-Phreak Remix
04. Phrea Spirit Remix

Though relative newcomers to the scene, Leeds’ Richard Hale and Dan De Lissandri AKA Leuce Rhythms have already made appearances on such imprints as ChipSound, High Eight’s Re:Connect, and Mesmer’s Scarcity. There’s something for everyone in this release, from progressive to jungle.

Original Mix
For their third original production (and their second appearance on Scarcity), Leuce make quite a splash. The main hook and vocals on Headroot give it an early 90s hardcore/rave feel, but the meaty breakbeat, big bass stabs, cuts, stutters, and other effects are definitely 2010. Thankfully, the vocal sample is used sparingly, and although the track is pretty straightforward, what makes it stand out is the litany of aforementioned effects. (As an aside, the tune’s main chord progression is somewhat reminiscent of Fischerspooner’s Emerge, which made me chuckle a bit.)

Retroid Remix
I had to double-check the track info on this one at first, because the beat and scratch samples initially sounded like Florida electro. But as the floating synth layers faded in my concerns were assuaged. You can eventually hear part of the main hook from the original Headroot, but fully submerged and surrounded by lush pads and melodies. Retroid shows us what he does best in this remix, with layer upon layer of ethereal textures.

B-Phreak Remix
B-Phreak’s take is more in line with the original, albeit with a fortified breakbeat, a slightly filtered hook, and B-Phreak’s signature chop-treatment on the vocals. The main breakdown/buildup is quite massive on this one, with a rising siren atop a host of beat-repeats, flangers, and other effects. This remix is squelch all the way.

Phrea Spirit Remix
Jazzy drum and bass is the name of the game in the Phrea Spirit reworking. Aside from the vocal samples sprinkled here and there, this hardly resembles the original. A classic Rhodes melody leads the charge on this groovy roller, accompanied by string pads and a percussive-laden broken beat hovering around 170BPM.

Artist: Beta vs Mesmer
Title: Tetris
Label: Scarcity [SCAR04]
Release Date: 2009-12-24
Tracklisting:
01. Original Mix
02. Retroid Remix
03. Jariten Remix
04. Quentin’s High Score Remix

A tasty Christmas treat coming from Mesmer’s burgeoning Scarcity label, featuring remixes by Retroid, Johan Soh AKA Jariten, and Quentin.

Original Mix
Tetris starts out like a run-of-the-mill proggy breaks tune, with a standard breakbeat and ethereal synth stabs. But what comes next I found to be rather refreshing. A light and pleasant sprinkle of bleeps slowly fades in to the mix (which indeed sound very much like they came from the eponymous computer game), followed by heavy, rolling bass at the first breakdown. Multiple layers of synths, a plethora of Beta’s signature stutters and stalls, as and a host of tight percussion give the tune its progressive credentials, but the bassline is all nu-skool. It’s hard to tell who had a hand in what, because these two producers’ styles are quite similar, but either way a Beta and Mesmer collab has been long overdue, if you ask me.

Retroid Remix
Had I heard this in a club, I don’t think I would have initially guessed it was a Retroid remix. Pretty much everything from the original version has been beefed up or tweaked here, including the kicks, the massive Hybrid-like bass, and now-gated lead synth line. The Hungarian breaks don has also added his own original production to the breakdown, which fits in well, to his credit. This is definitely peak-time business.

Jariten Remix
The Bearded man’s rework is a more subdued affair if there ever was one. A new bassline and new synth pads are brought together over the original melody, with a quirky broken beat that is offset every 8 bars. The one thing this remix, the Retroid remix, and original have in common is a mean bassline–all different, but equally nasty. This isn’t my favorite of the bunch, but it’s definitely enjoyable.

Quentin’s High Score Remix
This housed up version of Tetris features very little from the original, most notably the supporting synth pads. Expect a classic 4/4 beat, some deep house synths, and a very discrete Rob Base sample in there, too, for good measure. Not my cup of tea, as you might expect, but surely there’s a time and a place for it. The original and Retroid versions are the clear winners in this package, as far as I’m concerned.