Review: On Spec - Knights Of Columbos

Label: Bedrock Records [BED66]
Release Date: July 31st, 2006
Rating: 7/10

"Knights Of Columbos" actually started out as a Guy Gerber bootleg remix of Mew's "Why Are You Looking So Grave?". The band never cleared their vocals to be included, so the track was instead released as a original production under Gerber's new alias, On Spec (perhaps as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the bootleg's unreleased status).

The original was certainly the stand-out track on John Digweed's Transistions this June. Although on the surface it may seem charmingly simple, there's more to it than you might think. A warm, rolling bassline and light percussion coupled with sparse melodies and some minimal, yet emotive piano lines translate into a very satisfying groove; a groove that easily wraps itself around your head and invades your subconciousness. The track's effectivess is evident when you find yourself humming it days after hearing it.

The Guy Gerber edit is just that: an edit. Gerber changes a few things up, but it's still basically the same track. Except this time things are a little less interesting. Surely Bedrock, with it's large roster of producers not to mention it's owner John Digweed's huge network of contacts throughout the industry, could've found someone to do a remix. Or maybe they could've delayed the release a bit so Gerber himself could spend a little more time creating a completely new mix vice a basically worthless edit.

Still, the original "Knights Of Columbos" is a great production from one of the most well-respected producers out there. It's just a shame the track couldn't have been bundled with something other than it's near mirror image.

Review: Pole Folder - Enter The Rhythm/Waxxx

Label: Bedrock [BED29]
Release Date: February 4th, 2002
Rating: 9/10

Pole Folder's sophomore effort after the massively successful "Apollo Vibes" is an excellent foray into deep, atmospheric house. "Enter The Rhythm" is massive, and features all the signature Pole Folder elements: complexity, depth, and an absolutely killer bassline. But the real winner here is "Waxxx", which features fellow Belgian and DJ CP. "Waxxx" is absolutely epic. Clocking in at a whopping 12:39, Franquet gave himself a lot of breathing room, and it paid off. The track progresses fairly slowly, but features an absolutely heavenly breakdown that will send shivers down your spine. Uplifting, emotional, euhporic, and absolutely spell-binding. Not to be missed.

Classic Review: Bedrock - Set In Stone/Forbidden Zone

Label: Stress Records [CDSTR80]
Release Date: 1997
Rating: 9/10

A classic late 90's progressive trance tune that still sounds great. 'Set in Stone' is as epic and melodic as Digweed & Muir have ever sounded. Clocking in at just over 11 minutes, this song takes you on a journey through twisting synth dub like no other. The release at the end of the track is classic '97 era trance (in a good way), with an emotional eruption of beautiful synth arpeggios. 'Forbidden Zone' on the other hand, doesn't hold up nearly as well. Sounding almost goa-esque in it's intensity, the synth textures here are very dated, and are not nearly as pleasing to the ear as those in 'Set In Stone'. Of course, there really isn't much goa out there that doesn't sound dated a couple of years after it's released.

Review: John Digweed - MMII

Label: Bedrock [PEA-CD-6166-2]
Release Date: 2002
Rating: 8/10

Normally, when one thinks of John Digweed, one thinks of deep, banging progressive house. Not here. This is Digweed's most somber mix yet, sounding more akin to a Northern Exposure release than any of his Global Underground releases. Digger does pick up the pace about midway through the mix, but this is more of a mood piece than a club mix. And like any mix album, there are some awesome tracks, and there are some stinkers too. Lonely Planet's 'Pollon' has a resonatingly beautiful synth loop that will immediately catch your ear, while Pole Folder & CP's 'Dust' is a beautiful, spacy down-tempo piece with some beautiful vocals and nice ambient washing synths. On the more up-tempo side, James Holden's 'I Have Put Out The Light' is absolutely chilling, while Spooky's 'Belong' has an addictive house groove and a gorgeous female vocal, both of which you'll be humming for weeks. The best track goes to Darren Emerson's phenomenal remix of 108 Grand's 'Te Quiero', with it's multiple layers of beautiful swirling melodies and bouncing beat. The rest of the tracks range from average, to annoying (as in the case of Sean Q6's 'Of Course'). So while this isn't Digweed's best effort, it most certainly isn't bad, and is recommended to anyone who enjoys the more melodic, somber side of progressive house.