Reviews November 2007-11-07

   Napt 

a) Beats & Rhymes Feat. G Double  a1) Beats & Rhymes Ghetto House Mix

If you are familiar with Napt’s last release then you will be familiar with the sounds used to go into the production. Some may say that using the same/similar elements will make the tunes sound the same, but I find it gives Napt their own unique sound.

‘Beats & Rhymes’ kicks off with gentle claps and a soft pad that gives way to a previous ‘N-Funk’ essence. ‘Beats and rhymes stuck in my head’ the start of the vocal call of things to come. As a vocal track this is a good production, with the trademark sounds of Napt, but this wasn’t my favourite on the release. If you want something a bit different play the House mix, it isn’t too Housey and grooves as well as the rest.

‘Wah’ again starts of smoothly and this time you really can hear the elements of the last release, giving the listener a false sense of security and then it goes into a ‘Get Back’ / ‘N-Funk’ groove. This is nothing bad though, it gives the DJ more options and the listener something more interesting to contend with. There is a nice heavy bass sound grinding up and down, and a good progression throughout the song. ‘Wah’ is my favourite of the two tracks, purely due to the heavier sound, but ‘Beats & Rhymes’ is also a great tune.

I would have to say I like both tracks and will play them out with no hesitation at all, despite the similarities to previous releases, as this is no design flaw, just NAPT doing what they do best, making great tunes for us to bounce around to.

Rank: 4/5 Stars

Eac vs Ils ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’: Botchit Breaks

 a) LBJ Remix  b) Stranger Remix

We all know and love Joy Divisions ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’, and those who don’t should give it a go. This is a great re-work of an old classic, the ‘LBJ’ remix has a thick full feeling about it, without being muddy, this I would put down to the expert production crew on the job.  This track retains the electro feel, with distorted vocals and banging beats. This is sure to be a floor filler due to the recognition of an old classic, and the fact it is a good tune in it’s own right.

The ‘Stranger’ remix has a crisper feel with the beats and bass coming in with hats and less distortion. It’s a bit like the fog clearing if you have listened to the ‘LBJ’ remix a lot. With crowd cheering in the background swishing sounds it creates an atmospheric feel. Both mixes are worth the listen, ‘LBJ’ being the banger and ‘Stranger’ appropriate for the earlier hours.

Rank: 4/5 Stars

   The Wrongstar Society

 a) ‘And Then She Was Beautiful’  a1)  ‘Battle’ Merka remix

b) ‘Battle’   b1) ‘Battle’ Radio Edit

The opening track to this release ‘And Then She Was Beautiful’ is a great example of where breaks are going today. Filthy bass and bouncing beats. The vocal ‘She danced…then she danced, and I drank and I drank, and then she was beautiful’ sums it up really. It’s a catching vocal complimented with lashings of bouncy bass, and dirty synth, just the way I like it, others may disagree, but this is a fun track guaranteed to please the punters. The breakdown is wooshy and as expected, lots of bleeps and blips everywhere else. This track is something different and very refreshing, the usual formula is evident, but the right ingredients make it one tasty cake.

The next instalment ‘Battle’ remixed by Merka is a cockney vocal driven bouncer, another catchy vocal and bouncy beats. It again has a fun element, which is no bad thing, lots going on, which keeps it fresh. It is thick and full bass and synth-wise, and another hit with me. The flip being the original version surprised me as I felt it would have been a stronger contender, but it certainly wasn’t bad. Opening up with that tune from Rocky and filtered to give it a skewiff feel, dropping a kick in a dub step intro, this track seemed promising unfortunately the rest felt a bit thin, with a bit of phattening up, it could be improved.

I haven’t encountered The Wrongstar Society before but will certainly be looking out for future releases.

Rank: 3.5/5 Stars

Reviewer: TobyD