Stripped Digitalโs latest release revisits Ewan Rillโs โLightnessโ EP from 2012, with each of the tracks being turned over to a different artist from the labelโs roster. The remixes come from John OโConnor, Neil Browne, Gvozdini, Politis, and Kertek.
John OโConnor retains the melodic heart of Ewan Rillโs original version of the title track while giving it a bit more power, with a booming, hypnotic bassline, crisp percussion, and a couple of really exciting builds with the main melody climbing over a second offbeat bassline falling either side of the lovely breakdown. I was really impressed by OโConnorโs last release for Stripped Digital, and itโs kind of hard to believe that this is his first ever remix โ itโs terrific, and the highlight of the package.
Next up on the remix of โPrototypeโ we have Neil Browne, whose debut EP on Stripped Recordings dropped earlier this week. A menacing, growling bassline, industrial swooshes, subtle stabs, intense handclaps, and cleverly timed hi-hats dominate. Overall, though, itโs hard not to feel like Browne strips out too much of Ewan Rillโs originalโs sense of melody and fun, instead coming across as rather tuneless and repetitive, and I found myself wishing it would switch things up a bit long before the end.
โOne Functionโ, a collaboration with Russian producer Reflection Soul, took the โLightnessโ EP into neo-trance territory, and Gvozdini keeps things there. Kicking off with hypnotic bleeps and two simple, interlocking basslines, the remix builds with snappy percussion, big chord changes, and glassy motifs. A nice breakdown introduces further melodies before a cool drum fill heralds the onset of the trackโs finale. Iโm a fan of Gvozdiniโs stuff (including his excellent upcoming single for the label, โSymphonyโ), though this remix wasnโt quite my style. Itโll work a treat for those looking for melodic, well-produced main room progressive/neo-trance gear though.
Politis rework โContactโ, giving the track a subtle breakbeat treatment. Unfortunately, itโs a bit too subtle for its own good, with some nice and atmospheric ideas from Ewan Rillโs original creeping in from time to time, but much of the track taken up with a simple bassline and shuffling drums on loop, to no real purpose.
Kertekโs take on โMusic Philosophyโ floats the originalโs melodies over a growling, shifting bassline and Thereโs a nice sequence following the main breakdown, but overall the different elements of the remix never really come together as you would hope, the percussion lacks the kind of crispness and power the track needs, and the insistent looped part in the background that comes in after thirty seconds and runs throughout the rest of the remix gets old quite quickly, and lends it a very one-dimensional feel. I think more could have been done with this one too, sadly.
This is a slightly mixed package, boasting excellent work from John OโConnor and a strong showing from Gvozdini (even though his remix didnโt appeal to me personally), and the other three remixes letting things down a bit, failing to do justice to Ewan Rillโs originals. Still, when itโs good, itโs good. 7/10
