‘Once More Into the Fray’ was one of three new tracks on Scotty.A’s excellent ‘Natural Senses’ EP on Proton a few months back. Proton’s latest release singles it out for new treatments from two excellent producers, Silinder and Anthony Yarranton.
Having been remixed by Scotty.A on the Balkan Connection release of his track ‘Penthouse’, Silinder’s is back on Proton again to return the favour, and his remix of ‘Once More…’ is amongst his best work to date. A warm intro sets the tone, before settling confidently into a characteristically hypnotic flow that works the simple main riff from the original pretty hard. What really sets it apart from Scotty.A’s version, though, is the strong chord progression and strikingly beautiful countermelodies that Silinder layers onto the track. Without meaning to slight Scotty.A’s original one bit, I think Silinder’s really worked magic on this one, and the result is even stronger. This is the soundtrack to watching the sun set from your favourite spot.
Scotty.A has twice now remixed Anthony Yarranton, with his version of Yarranton’s ‘Bohemian Groove’ proving one of his most successful tracks yet, even finding support from Paul Oakenfold. Yarranton himself has already impressed with his recent work on Axon, Movement and Lowbit, as well as a truly beautiful track on this year’s Summer Particles compilation (which will surely see a full remix package on Particles soon). His remix of ‘Once More…’ is a moody, restrained affair, with the percussion and bass hitting deep house notes, and Scotty.A’s melodies kept on a short leash but allowed enough of a presence to lend a sense of space and a touch of melancholy. It’s certainly not a peak-time record, but it’s a classy, elegant and effective atmosphere-builder.
A real strength here is that although there are only two new versions, they each take Scotty.A’s track in a very different direction, with Silinder lushing it up, and Anthony Yarranton stripping things back to the bare essentials. Favourite? I’m going to have to go with Silinder here – it’s just awesome. But both versions are excellent, and they leave me looking forward to a the full release of my personal favourite from the ‘Natural Senses’ EP, ‘Sense of an Ending’, which looks set to get a similarly fitting treatment from Navar and others soon. 8.5/10
