Sudbeat’s latest release revisits two of the tracks contributed by Hernan Cattaneo and Soundexile to Cattaneo’s excellent Masters Series compilation on Renaissance back in 2012. Guy J takes on my personal favourite from that album, ‘Altair’, while ‘Infoxication’ receives yet another outing courtesy of Guy Mantzur and Lonya.
In my review of Hernan Cattaneo and Soundexile’s ‘Citycism’ almost a year ago, I expressed the hope that ‘Altair’ would get a remix package on the label. We don’t quite get that here, but fortunately Guy J’s interpretation makes up for the long wait all by itself. The original’s near-psychedelic lead riff is thankfully retained, spun out over huge, warm bass tones and drifting pads, and the breakdown introduces a shimmering, spacier melody, creating a moment of considerable beauty before the bass and percussion hit again. My only complaint, and it’s a really minor one, is that there’s no handclap, and as a result the track lacks the swing it might otherwise have had. Overall, though, this is really quite lovely indeed.
Guy Mantzur makes his first appearance on Sudbeat since his triumphant debut album last December, and here he teams up with fellow Tel Aviv-based producer Lonya, who has been making waves recently with releases on the likes of Lowbit, Stripped, and Parquet. The duo offer a darker, techier take on ‘Infoxication’, which lets the chimes from Hernan Cattaneo and Soundexile’s original sound out over electrifying percussion and a hypnotic, elastic bassline, while the breakdown plays with trippy melodies. I do miss the mesmerizing beauty of the original, I have to say, but Guy Mantzur and Lonya do a great job of reconceiving the track as a rock-solid workout.
This is an excellent release from Hernan Cattaneo and Soundexile, and Guy J’s remix no doubt sate those of us who have been waiting a long time for Sudbeat to do something fittingly memorable with ‘Altair’. 8.5/10
