Haye! a bit late on this one, but here's the translation for the reviews I wrote on Mike Grant's End to End first two releases. ------------------------------------------------------------
I got a couple of promos a few days ago from Mike Grant's End to End Records. Grant, who has ben a while ago here in Portugal has gained some notoriety not only as a producer of fine Detroit sound but also because of his House label Moods&Grooves, that has brought us quality House from a series of well known producers, and has been able to keep a regular release schedule, which makes it one of the most trustable and homogeneous labels of the moment. Mike Grant's new label is called End to End and is completely directed towards Techno. These two 12"s are strong releases that promise a good future to the Detroit-based label. Here are the reviews of the first two releases. ********************************************* Black Noise - Step Into The Darkness (EE-001) Escrito e produzido por Mike Grant e Therapy Lançamento - 2 de Abril de 2001 "Young Gifted and Black" starts with the title which is complemented with the social consciousness speech that starts the song. A speech that seems to be sampled from a movie talks about the consciousness of young black people and will predictably be used a lot by DJ's in intros and pauses. Next, a strong game of percussion takes place, which goes on for almost the entire track, bringing back to memory some songs on the first Depth Charge compilation on Submerge. Complementary to the rhytmic line there comes a synth melody that revolves around itself and morphs into what seems to be a definition os a space. Very good track. "Smoke & Mirrors" is completely based in a predictable minimal rhythm with congas, claps and a very funky bass, tipical Detroit. On top of the rhythm base a fast synht line with peaks and breaks develops, acompanied by the percussion that show bursts of energy and funk from time to time. It's a track that wouldn't look bad on a Stacey Pullen DJ set in a day that he wakes up a bit more Techno. Dancefloor designed. Next track, the 'Cut Up' version of this song, is less funky, but it has its potential in a DJ set's peak time. Harder and more repetitive, perhaps even more confusing and banging, this version leaves a bit of the funk behind and focuses on the strenght of the track. ********************************************* Scan 7 - Home Soil EP (EE-002) Escrito e produzido por Scan 7 Lançamento - 30 de Abril de 2001 "How 'Bout Me" starts with a running synth bass that evolves to a repetitive rhythm with congas and industrial claps filled with some metalic echo. The simplified melody is brought by some nervous synth stabs. Ocasionaly, busrts a sample that could have been taken from a game-show, in which a black voice shouths "How 'Bout Me". When the song becomes predictable, the sample alternates to a chaotic a desperating "I'm not big enough for ya!" repeated several times. Good track, though it's predictable that it can gain a greater amplitude in the mix. First track on side B is called "Evasive Maneuvers". Again, starting with a synth bass, this time a la Purpose Maker, quickly present us with the repetitive and minimal melody of a synth that has the feeling and warmth of a Moog. At this time the track is consistent and really funky, extremely sensual and pretty misterious, with some synth processed congas. "Chosen Solitude" closes this EP, and is the most Detroit-styled from the EP. A Techno/House number, it's based on a simple stripped down rhythm, which seems to enhace the intricate melodic construction of the song. Layers of synths periodicaly opose each other to create a filigrane of warm sounds. It is the least dancefloor oriented of the three, but doubtlessly the most musical of them all. My favorite track on the EP. Lay "Unconditional Empowerment" http://barkingcat.org/counterforce --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
