For their 11th release, New York-based imprintย De-Noize offers up the debut of rising Finnish starย Jori Hulkkonenย on the label, whileย label-boss Audio KoDe turns up the heat on remix duties.
โCalypsoโ kicks off with an odd chiming motif (I couldnโt help but be reminded of the Phoenix Nights theme here, which isnโt usually a reference point for techno), which soon gives way to a chunky but retro sound, with a sparse, stabbing bassline and classic percussion. The melodies quickly emerge, with a simple but strong bleeping hook, airy pads, and gentle ripples gradually unfolding, leading us into the breakdown, where the chimes reemerge, making much more sense now that theyโre surrounded by the other musical elements of the track. Warm and beautiful, this is a terrific slice of techno/progressive crossover.
Audio KoDeโs remix takes the track into the kind of percussive, propulsive tech-house arena that fans of his work will expect. However, he keeps just enough of the originalโs fantastic melodies, including those blue-skies drifting pads, with the result that what we get is a more contemporary and floor-oriented, but still uplifting interpretation of Jori Hulkkonenโs track.
This is a very nice package from De-Noize, with both Jori Hulkkonenโs original and Audio KoDeโs remix bound to please fans of melodic but understated techno. My own tastes incline me slightly more towards the original, but itโs a close thing indeed. 8/10
