It's a cold day today, no denying it. It's also Sunday, which signal the end of what has been one of the best and most enjoyable weekends of my entire life. Had a great thanksgiving, spent time with a lot of great people, made new friends, applied to the University of Iowa, it's just been a stellar weekend. In light of this, I'm going to review pleasant, wonderfully crafted EP by Toolroom regular Funkagenda, which happens to be one of the few EPs on which every single remix brings something different to the table. It's something of a guilty pleasure for me, but every single time I listen to it I enjoy every bit of it, which is something that cannot be said for every electronic music EP I've listened too, much less on tech and progressive house house monolith Toolroom.
"Breakwater" sounds like it should: aquatic, breezy, subtle, and comfortable. The original club mix kicks off with heavy low-end bass and drums, even throwing in the occasional submarine sonar bleep. It's traditional progressive house fare; a chunging, unforgiving bass and kick, a hovering, single note synth, a simplistic, bright main synth riff, reserved crashes to signal that something's about to happen; this is pattered, structured progressive house with a slight eye for atmosphere. Near the middle, though, the glittering main synth line drops, and all of a sudden, you're on the beach, feeling the sand under your toes, the waves caressing your feet, the sun warming your entire body with its soft, blanketing rays. This definitely is not as much of a banger as it is atmospheric progressive house, which ends up giving the track a confusing ending while never deciding if it fully wants to go for mood or for the dancefloor. Too bad more progressive house can't work small wonders like Funkagenda can.
EDX pops up next with his shorter, ready-for-the-dancefloor spin on the track. All the elements of an EDX track are here in full force: his trademark synths, his signature proggy, hissing drums, and the same exact rhythm he uses for most of his remixes and originals. Don't expect anything different from EDX here, it's traditional fare for him. But that doesn't mean it's bad. His mainly body-pleasing brand of rhythmic, one-trick-melodic-pony progressive house fits the bill well, and the soothing, aquatic nature of the original fits well into the EDX template. Complete with a typical synth breakdown, albeit one that's a little more laid back. Progressive house at its most predictable (but it still sounds pretty good!)
Dataworx takes a turn next, removing the beach-time sensibilities of the original in favor of a sickly, ominous tech house mood. The mechanical, metallic drums take center stage for the first few minutes before the beginning of the signature riff is teased, soon piping church organ-style right alongside the drums perfectly. The main riff dances drunkenly once, while the pipes continue in the background, creating probably the most danceable atmosphere on the entire EP. Wonderfully rhythmic while barely melodic and harmonic, this is a tech house treat for the feet.
The final remix comes from the able hands of British DJ/producer Dave Seaman and Greek DJ/producer Stelios Vassiloudis (or Stel, as he's credited here). The duo's "Waveforce Mix" sounds completely correct: a vicious, unrelenting bass sounds deep and heavy in the ears, and that trademark dance hi-hat drops to focus the beat and rhythm down the progressive house (beaten) path. The main riff sounds, this time, trumpeted and extra bright, before being submerged headfirst underwater again. Claps and hisses drive the track along with faint harmonies playing in the background. A few minutes later, the same riff twinkles into view with a bell-sounding synth this time, and the track even glitches up a bit, sputtering and gasping for air before the wave of the bass crashes down again right on time. While not the best remix of the EP, it's head-pleasing, clobbering monster of a track that makes you think a little while keeping that same progressive house feel.
You can download the entire EP here as a .rar file. Enjoy, and always keep those ears peeled.
Funkagenda - Breakwater EP
-NL
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