Artist: Halobeatz feat. Curly Loops
Title: Infected Ballerium
Label: VIM [VIMBREAKS057]
Release Date: Mid-June 2010
Tracklisting:
01. Original Mix
02. Will White Remix
03. Sifter & Adan Remix
04. The Scientifics Remix

The unique lineup of artists on this release prompted me to give a listen and share my thoughts right away. And the verdict? Another quality VIM release, no doubt.

Original Mix
Cologne’s boy wonder takes on his third release for VIM, this time in cahoots with France’s Curly Loops. I had to listen to this one about five times before being able to pin down its sound. Thick, phat breaks, distorted bass stabs, and a trancey synth melody make for quite a treat. Lightly sprinkled female vocal samples, a flurry of otherworldly effects, and the faintest of pads round out the aural candy that is Infected Bellerium.

Will White
Formerly one-half of late-90s big beat legends Propellerheads, Will White went on to produce some killer breaks tunes in the noughties (Wait A Minute, for one) under his own name, as well as under the Pimpwax guise. For a while it seemed as though he’d fallen off the face of the earth. But with his recent release on Dead Famous and now this beast set to be unleashed, are we witnessing a comeback? Let’s hope so. White’s old-school-inspired remix of Infected Ballerium, while having little to do with the original save for the female vocal sample, is sure to be a crowd pleaser. This party animal of a tune adds a funky male vocal sample, along with a few signature old-school sounds, to give it an overall electro-breaks feel. My only complaint is that it should just be released as its own tune!

Sifter & Adan Remix
Another outfit we haven’t seen much from in recent years is Sifter & Adan, but they, too, seem to be back in the game. The duo were known previously for their deep bass and this reworking is no exception. It’s a short, laid back breakbeat affair that maintains the original’s main synth hook with a little added distortion. Though funky all the way and heavy on the bass, this remix somehow maintains air of chill-ness.

The Scientifics Remix
Greek trio The Scientifics–the men behind the VIM imprint–round out the package with a warm tech-house ditty. A live bassline, and proggy synths accompany the original’s melody and vocal sample (“music is my medication”). This 4/4 reworking is out just in time for the summer festival season and is sure to get you grooving.

Artist: Macho
Title: So Let’s Begin
Label: V.I.M. [VI.M.BREAKS036]
Release Date: 2009-11-25
Tracklisting:
01. Original Mix
02. I:lyke Remix
03. The Scientifics Remix
04. Toy Quantize Remix

Slovakian breaks remixed by Germans and Kazakhs, and Greeks? It’s a small world after all….

Original Mix
A didgeridoo-like synth loop reminiscent of the Prodigy or Aphex Twin kicks off this tune by Slovakia’s Macho, which is joined shortly by a fat, no-nonsense break-beat and a barrage of industrial guitar licks. The sinister, trancey pads slowly layered onto this tune, along with the 136 BPM tempo, give it a signature psy-breaks feel. All in all, this is a great original work, with the fusion of hardcore/rave and psychedelic synths making it a keeper in my book.

The Scientifics Remix
Tech-funk by design, this remix from the Greek trio is a slow roller at 128 BPM. Prevalent hi-hats amid an intricate percussion arrangement complement the groovy bassline well. Only past the mid-way point of the remix do we briefly hear a toned-down synth line from the original, but it seems to be more or less an afterthought.

I:lyke Remix
This rework by Germany’s I:lyke takes a rather leftfield approach, retaining virtually none of the original track’s elements. I:lyke slow things down tempo-wise, add a completely new samba rhythm, then layer on meaty bass stabs and a wealth of beeps and bleeps. Though not my style, or my favorite of the remixes, for that matter, this tune would be right at home beside tunes from the likes of Flore, Mephisto Odyssey, et al.

Toy Quantize Remix
Kazakh newcomer Toy Quantize put out quite a doozy with this remix. Acid synths from the original, staccatoed cymbal crashes, and new melodies layered on top of thick drums make this my favorite remix. It has one foot in psychedelia and the other planted firmly in the tech realm, but the track will be most appealing to the tear-out types.