Bedrock have thoughtfully delivered the soundtrack for late summer on this
double-disc continuous mix of chilled and midtempo grooves. Disc one
starts and finishes with the delicious duo of Mr. Terry Grant and Ms.
Jennifer Horne, he with the beats and she with the silky vocals. The lead
cut, "I'll Kill You Softly," is a mesmerizing bit of Latin-flavor
languidity that could be music you hear as cobra venom slowly spreads
throughout your body. John Debo's ambient mix of this track (which closes
the disc) adds some nice production flourishes while lowering the pulse even
more. There's also a double shot of Voyager and Kris Avedon who check in
with "The March" and "Downtown Bubble," the first replete with Harold
Faltermeyer-style synths and the second likewise an 80s-style bubbler,
although perhaps a bit more like vintage Tangerine Dream. Third on the
disc is Yuvus Gennen with "Open Arms," a bright and wooshy piece that's
markedly different from the trip-hop beats of "Indigo," his other
contribution here. Astrid Suryanto contributes the vocals to her
downtempo version of Morgan Page and Gregory Shift's "All I Know,"
which manages to be bouncy and wistful at the same time.
Luke Chable
has some titling fun on the rather abstract "Am Bee Ent Tee" mix of
"Melburn," which leaves us with the vocoded sci-fi vocals of Stieger's
cut "Postcard From The Edge" on this disc (he's the only artist on
both) and the Downey mix of Jiva's "Strange Dimension," which steadily
layers strings, echo-y vocals, percussion and acoustic guitar into a
patient climax before giving way to Terry and Jennifer.
Disc two picks up the pace a bit, opening with Fretwell's breakbeat
remix of Bedrock's "Forge," a taste of things to come as we get
another Bedrock bouncer in the third spot. That would be "Emerald,"
courtesty of Chicago's Greyarea via their "Speakeasy mix." Sandwiched
in between those two is KVK's intriguingly titled "Reality Theory,"
and the track lives up to that promise with lots of processed
vocals and a funky little bass line. The Rjones "Delayed Dub" mix of
Astro & Glyde's "Aimless Dame" is fourth, crossing the line into
clubby territory. Dousk drops the aptly titled "Happy To Be Sad"
next, a cheerful melody that's also dancefloor friendly.
The
smashing "Northern Lights" mix of POB & Taylor's "Aura" is next,
serving final notice that it's way past time to get up off the lounge
chair and shake the margarita maker. Tim Skinner and Martin Accorsi
pay some homage to the master with "Playing for Digweed," followed
closely by Luke Fair's Lokitas, repletes with lots of filters and
bright percussion. Stieger then funks up his "Postcard From The
Edge" almost beyond recognition with a breaks mix that shows he can
bring the heat as well as the chill. Weird Continental Types (what a
great name) keep it nasty with "Phat As" before the bottom drops all
the way down with "sK8" from Elite Force. There's nowhere to go but
thick and juicy from there, so Nick Muir serves up a sizzling mix of
Pole Folder's "Salvation on Slavery Sins." Finally, Max Graham
closes with his "Sidechain" mix of Guy Gerber's "Stoppage Time," a
loping instrumental that wraps things up with a nice tight bow.
What, time to set the clocks back already?
