Pr. Morriarti - Mystic Smile (Remixes):
When I first got this release in my inbox a couple of days ago, I said "Pr. Whooo?"! But no sooner I looked at the names on this remix package and I was blown away! This was by far one of the most interesting releases of recent times!
Marked as the fourth catalogue release on Highway Records, a new Russian label which made quite some noise when it signed SCSI-9 and released ‘Tierra Del Fuego’ back in December of last year, the 'Mystic Smile EP' is a wonderful collection of various house and techno sub-genres that serve completely different purposes.
Professor Morriarti or simply Pr. Morrairti is the name of a very ambitious project launched by Eugene Moriarti, a multi-talented sound engineer, musician, producer and vocalist who hails from the Russian capital, a while back. Well known in Moscow for his wide talent range that stretches from playing Saxophone Solos on jazz nights at the famed M-Bar in Moscow to his club residencies at various nightspots around the Russian capital, the Prof. came out with a scorcher of a track in 2004 that proved fertile ground to work around with for the likes of Robert Babicz, Tigerskin, R-Tem, Spieltape and Raymond Obouvie!
The Robert Babicz Galactic Dub and Mix are a true reflection of Rob's recent ventures into Deep House. With a driving bassline and smooth percussion layouts, the track can be best described as dreamy and groovy. In the Galactic mix Robert builds up the vibe slowly while gradually introducing the various track layers using the vocal samples to drive the track forward with a focus on smooth piano melodies throughout. The track kicks off with a percussion led drum loop and some smooth synths. The driving bassline suddenly appears, then the piano melodies work their way through. The vox soon proves to be the main element Rob built his mix around. The Dub is extremely similar, however Rob relies on the percussions to drive this one forward with random sampling of the original vocals every now and then. Excellent work from the German. Rating: 8/10
R-Tem's remix is a Tech House banger that will surely be destroying dance floors over the coming months! The track kicks off with a low kick and various percussive elements. After 16 measures a driving bassline kicks in and the synths start building until the eerie melodies explode into life on the minute mark. The track bursts into extravaganza almost a minute after, when the pads and wonderful synths combine so blissfully with the smartly sampled vocal elements. This synergy of the various elements is nothing short of epic! The breakdown enters around 3.30, and a dreamy shimmering melodic state engulfs the track until it then rebursts into an eargasmic tech madness pulling the listeners back into mayhem-ville! The most striking aspect of this one is the 'slap in tour face' bassline that alleviates this one into club banging territory! Rating: 9/10
Next up is Tigerskin's (the man also known as Phonique and Dub Taylor) take on the track. This time we go full on dub techno, with a very dark ambient feel engulfing the track from the beginning. Percussions work their way with some cool efx from the start as the track gains momentum. On the minute mark the synth work kicks in with a freakishly pleasant pad making its way in. Distorted vocals that have been pitched down suddenly appear and eerie melodies from a far away dont take long before they give the listener a seemingly myopic experience. The heart-throbbing moog bassline seems to be the driving force in this one, and you could imagine this one causing havoc in mostly small room clubs and environments. Wonderful work from the Berlin man who never gives up on pure German techno! Rating: 9/10
The 'Raymond Obouvie 2009 Version' is a mammoth work of art in its own right. Kicking off with a blissful piano melody for around 30 secs, a proggie vibe soon takes over with layers upon layers of electric pleasure combining with the sweet vocals, dreamy pads and shimmering melodies. Raymond Obouvie otherwise known in his home country as Anton Melihov has made a track that sounds like it was made during progressive's golden years of the early 2000's. If there was one word to best describe this symphony it would be 'Fresh'. It has been a really long time since I heard a track that managed to combine dark synths, pumping low frequencies, blissful morning sounding melodies and pure hypnotic vocal satisfaction. Rating: 9/10
The final track in this release is the 'Spieltape Dub' which is my personal favorite of the release. The thing about this that I find intriguing is how Spieltape managed to send out two contradicting vibes at the same time from this remix. This one is both a club banger and aural delight. Exactly 9 minutes long, the track is a musical journey by all means. The fat rigorous bassline fades in gradually and soon maintains a solid energy flow, while the eclectic efx and solid sythns work come in from the back with random vocal samples every now and then. A trippy perc melody enters and acts as a pyscho-acoustic controller and the shimmering eerie melodies continue to make their way in the track, almost as if the melodies are fighting a battle to dominate the layers! Around the 2:40 mark the melodies fully take over the track and Hades is awakened for around 30 secs. Suddenly the rigourous bassline kicks in and the high hats fade in from the back while the melodies slowly dither away as the tech elements gain a solid grip over the track as the trippy elements re-appear and the vibe changes drastically yet again. On the 5:30 minute mark the track suddenly stops and eclectic efx build up as the perc melodies form an intense sound that increases rapidly acting as white noise, until things re-explode as the bassline re-enters. This beast reminds me of the epic battle of the movie '300'! This is one of best tracks ive heard in a very very very long time. The sheer brilliance of Spieltape's ability to portray two so contradictory vibes in such a blissful manner in one track is simply diabolical to say the least. This one is entering my hall of fame! Rating 10/10
In a time of generic sounds and labels scrambling to make head-way, Highway records have hit the right buttons in a remix package that will take their Russian new born label into the higher leagues. I strongly urge everyone to get this as soon as it's released; this one is going to be larger than life!
Some Audio Samples:
