Glittering in the autumnal twilight, BiG AL’s debut for Particles was one of the standout moments of the five track “Fall Particles 2012” compilation. The Canadian – head of the globally renowned Readymix Records and responsible for almost 300 Beatport production credits alongside a set of marquee DJ talents that have seen him circle the globe, anchoring himself with residencies in Beirut, Abu Dhabi and his Montreal hometown – perfectly ‘captured’ a deep hypnotic and emotive groove, surrounded by layers of soothing chords, melodic textures and distorted lead line that represented a timeless work. A revisit to “Captured” thus seemed inevitable and, some six months after its first incarnation, Particles reminds listeners of the beauty of the original in addition to two further reincarnations from Ireland and Germany.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRsCOjRRaRY
Sligo resident, John Kearns has carved out a considerable reputation for himself. Under his Lateral Cut Groove moniker almost twenty productions have found their way onto the Caribbean based Liquid Grooves imprint after the debut “Electric Feet” EP in 2011. With a history of DJ’ing and success in local competitions, a degree in music technology fanned the flames of a passion that has resulted in a series of successes for a number of labels and support from the DJ elite in the form of Hernan Cattaneo, Darren Emerson and Carl Cox. Also featuring alongside BiG AL, the Lateral Cut Groove work “Organised Chaos” marked Kearns’ debut for Particles and his recent remix of Stephen J. Kroos’ “Amygdala” signalled a very bright future. Following this up, the Lateral Cut Groove remix of “Captured” is an aptly named “Deep Mix”. A smooth and effortless low-slung groove marks the back drop for a series of rising, pulsating pads to form wave after wave of emotional context while echoes of BiG AL’s original wend their way into proceedings in the second movement and beyond. This is a classy production.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRsCOjRRaRY#t=1m50s
The final instalment in the “Captured” trilogy falls to the Kazakhstan born Konstantin Alt under his LoQuai production guise. A self-proclaimed “carpenter by day and producer by night”, the German based progressive house messiah has forged an enviable reputation for prolificacy and quality with over 500 production credits to his name and strong relationships with the Mistique Music, Balkan Connection and Green Snake imprints. With a growing collection of productions to his name already in 2013, Particles is extremely proud to see LoQuai mark his debut for the label with a wonderfully understated work that plays tribute to the BiG AL’s original with subtle use of the “Captured” chord stabs that provide such a harmonious anchor. Juxtaposed against this is a cavernous grooved bass line that is the perfect accompaniment to the swathes of subtly textured and delayed melodic riffs that adorn the upper frequency spectrums in the track’s second half. Such an offering from LoQuai is sure to have the late night dance floors swaying in uniform bliss.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRsCOjRRaRY#t=4m25s
An original from BiG AL, combined with two stunning remixes from Lateral Cut Groove and LoQuai, have “Captured” the very essence of understated rhythm, melody and emotion. All three are full of groove and rhythmic style. Both LoQuai and Lateral Cut Groove are on a roll with their progressive vibe at the moment and BiG AL is a master of deep rhythmic melodics. Hard to pick a favourite!
