Nu-Depth Recordings presents Paul Millers second appearance on their label. Last time Paul teamed up with Michael Mystica. This time he is back under his famous Motion Blur guise. The release offers a bit of everything within trance; something soft, something in the middle and some no-nonsense energetic club music. On the remix duties we have Michael Dow from the UK, Suncatcher from Romania and AJ Hutch from the UK. The Suncatcher remix won the web vote on Above & Beyond’s Trance Around The World – this is bound to be an interesting package.
Review
This is the third Motion Blur release I am reviewing. Paul Miller is certainly working overtime in the studio. First up is the Original Mix and as per usual we are dealing with an uplifting and energetic affair. The bassline is pumping and underlining everything and making it suitable for the dancefloors. Hard beats, drumrolls, lush melodies and an epic breakdown are the keywords. Michael Dow is usually known for his uplifting or more techey productions. He is especially known for his remake of Brian Eno’s An Ending (Ascent). This remix is a progressive tryout. He is playing quite nicely with the melodies, but the tune does not take off as much as I want it to. He still manages to pull off a proper build-up and the tune is well spiced with some cool sounds.This is one wicked remix from Suncatcher. So far this guy has not impressed me, but he caught my attention with this remix. I love the aggressive hi hats, the kick and the clap used. These are simple things but can really make a difference if well put together and arranged properly. The melody is huge and sucks you in from point 0:58 to 6:28. The pads are simply magical and are truly the outstanding ingredient. A few piano keys also pops in on top of the melody and adds a final but important touch to the track. This tune is messing about in 136 bpm which I somehow feel is important to mention since this is a rarity these days. A perfect remix from Suncatcher and easily among the top 3 uplifting tracks this month. 9/10. Andrew aka AJ Hutch is making a return on Nu-Depth with this remix. For those who do not know him, he is behind Small World together with Jonas Hornblad. AJ Hutch went down the same path as Suncatcher basically. He keeps things more energic though and the mix ranks somewhere between the Suncatcher version and Millers Original Mix. A very good rework of the melody.
Verdict
There is an unquestionable quality about the Suncatcher remix. I just cannot get enough of it. This is a track that you do not want to miss. Second runner up has to be the AJ Hutch remix. The progressive version from Michael Dow could have been lifted with a more outstanding lead synth and maybe some more focus on the percussive elements. Good package all around.
In stores on the 23rd of March
Websites:
http://www.nu-depthrecordings.co.uk/
Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/nudepthrecordings
http://www.myspace.com/djpaulmiller
http://www.myspace.com/michaeldow
http://www.myspace.com/scatcher
http://www.myspace.com/ajhutchmusic
