in , ,

Andre Sobota – Common Place (Univack)

Spanish label Univack return after a hiatus, and they’re back with a new track from Andre Sobota, backed by remixes from David Granha, Sivesgaard, and Elio Kr & Integral Bread.

Andre Sobota’s own version of ‘Common Place’ is another slice of progressive/techno crossover, in a similar vein to his recent track ‘Fallout’. A strong, bright melody and a growling bassline provide the heart of the track, while cool vocal work and characteristically zingy percussion ensure that this is a winner.

David Granha offers a tougher take on Andre Sobota’s track, with about fifteen basslines driving things at the bottom end (that might be a slight exaggeration – but only a slight one), while the rest of the track flies and builds, leading to absolute mayhem when Granha leads the musical themes from Sobota’s original give the track a fantastic climax. I wasn’t super keen on the vocal samples throughout this one, but that’s a minor complaint with an extremely strong interpretation of the track. Great stuff.

Sivesgaard takes the track in a different direction, giving it a gentle melodic techno spin, with the main theme worked into a trancey ripple, and accompanied by a bustling, electro bassline, and a brassy hook. The musical ideas on this one didn’t really appeal much to me, and I found the repeated ‘Yeah’ sample pretty annoying, so overall this was my least favourite version of Andre Sobota’s track.

Finally, label-bosses Elio Kr and Integral Bread offer a slightly proggier version of the track, with a bubbling bass part taking the lead, and with some great guitar-licks, synths, and vocal pads adding atmosphere. The breakdown sees Andre Sobota’s melody emerge more clearly, and it makes one last welcome appearance for the finale.

This is a terrific release from Univack, with a number of strong versions of Andre Sobota’s track which should appeal to a range of different DJs. 8/10

Written by Mark Betteridge

Mark Betteridge is the Founder of Change Underground (est. 2013) and True Underground. An investigative journalist cited by leading publications such as Mixmag and Groove, he is a Digital Architect in the dance music industry news space. Read Full Bio →

Sahar Z and Chicola – Smoothy Moody/They Made Me Do It (Lost & Found)

Phonic Scoupe – Seven Sins LP (Stripped Recordings)