Artist: Various Artists
Album: Fullbarr Remixed
Label: Fullbarr
Release Date: 01/10/12
beatport.com/release/fullbarr-remixed
Like a man caught in the wind with his pants down, the phrase ‘grower not a show-er' comes to mind when considering this collection of unarguably modern 4x4 sounds. A far cry from anthemia, there are nevertheless stand out productions aplenty within the track list.
Of course that should really go without saying; if you're going to bother putting out a compilation make sure it's worthwhile. But, as the abundance of passable-to-poor offerings currently lining the shelves proves, this often isn't the case.
Thankfully then Arthur Barr's imprint, in its first full-length roster-showcase release, shows itself worthy of what should really be seen as an accolade for labels, not a necessity. Leaning heavily towards heads down deepness, it offers just enough for home listeners, though is clearly targeting dancefloor record players. As becomes apparent early on, with Huxley's remix of Sam Russo's Fuck My MPC, low organ notes and building percussion creating foot-stomping hypnosis.
Even the downtempo dub infused Kuiper Belt from Gliesers, or more accurately Youandewan's interpretation, with its echoed synths and heavy, plodding broken beat, appears to be born of dark crowded rooms. Albeit ones at the techno end of electronic music's spectrum, as with the live sounding minimalist shuffle of Samaan's Navigator (in this case reworked by Area).
Still, to call the album anything other than house is misleading- the stylistic modus will always win if you're looking for categorisation here. Whether that's a result of James Teej re-arranging Matthias Vogt's Rudiments into a glossy, upbeat number akin to John Tejada is another question, what with its position in the final moments accentuating the comparatively big sound when held up against what comes before and after. And then Lower Than sees Danton Eeprom re-hash Midnight Radio to finish things on what seems like a toybox tech tip, before a variety of noises are accumulated as it rolls, and horn refrains build more immersive atmospheres. In short, well worthy of investigation.
