Louk's August 2005 Reviews

[Louk]

Hello There,

Please find enclosed my latest record reviews. If you wish to use these reviews on your magazine / website / newsletter, please feel free but can you please e-mail me to let me know!

Thank you for the massive response with tunes this month it has been most appreciated! All information/contact details are below.

[b]Louk's Reviews for August 2005[b]

Cybermasterz - "Renegade Scorpion" [Anthem - IT] ATH 111

I'm always the first in the queue to check out a new Anthem release and yet again I am not disappointed. Fair enough the 'Bass From Outer Space' vocal emits vast quantities of Edam, but aside from this, the Original mix rocks and when that bassline comes in, I am prone to leaping around rather ecstatically. This recently took the roof off at Dance Academy when I played it and it is by far one of the tunes of the month!

Maxx - "Hackney" [Open Source - UK] OS 003

The London boys at Open Source have a knack of putting out what I consider to be forward thinking Techno, you know the sort, the kind that leaves you wide eyed and wanting thousands more tracks of a similar nature after you first play them. That is exactly what the reaction was when I played this little beauty by Maxx. Percussion with more pump than a Dyson comes straight at you with twisted vocals and a killer bass. Need I say more?

Marco V - "Second Bite (Remixes)" [In Charge - NL] IC 004

I will be honest and say that the Original mix of this I found to be rather abysmal and it left me questioning what on Earth Marco was doing with himself musically, however the remix from Alex Track One saves the day with its frenetic techno inspired madness. How he processes the vocals and incorporates a choppy bassline sounds marvelous even on my rather inadequate speakers at home, so I can't even begin to imagine how good this would sound on a loud system!!

Super 8 vs DJ Tab - "First Aid" [Anjuna Beats - UK] ANJ 046

Anjuna Beats used to be one of my favourite labels before venturing down the way too slow trance route that I drifted away from. However, this masterpiece from Finish producers Super 8 and Tab definitely has worked wonders when I have played it out of late. With a huge break similar to all those old wonderful Bonzai numbers and all the arrangement in the right place, this simply does rock! I fail to see how the remix is remotely anything like the track at all but that must be me!

Nick Beat - "Technodisco (Pascal F.E.O.S Mix)" [Zeitgeist - DE] ZEITGEIST 8973156

Pascal F.E.O.S has been rockin' it for years, what with his fantastic and exceptionally twisted mix of The Horrorist's 'One Night In NYC' and when this came through last week I knew what to expect. The usual eclectic yet funky basslines are in play amidst some wonderful drum programming and all the elements in their right place! This is by far the best remix of the EP and is a wonderful starting tune.

DJ Zany - "Freakz" [Fusion - NL] FUSION 027-5

After only receiving this today I've not had the chance to play it out, but let's just say I can't wait! This is HUGE! I was a bit sceptical at first, being that not all of Zany's output appeals to me, however this new techier route he appears to have gone down is simply wonderful. With a title such as Freakz, first impressions leave you wondering how demented this track is and when the almost 90s rave sounding bassline comes in with such a huge kick, you know this is the one!

SMF - "Come And Play" [Bulletproof - UK] PROOF 031

Bulletproof have always been a reliable imprint for slamming hard trance, well all bar their last release which was a rather unusual funky outing?! Anyway, after finding their feet again following the Alphamagic demise, they have enlisted Dutch master Smurreff to provide a wicked two tracker. A really punchy bassline and a very catch riff make this one a very DJ friendly hard trancer. Good effort!

Marzz vs DJ Dano - "25 Six" [Detox - NL] TOX 0013

The Dutch Detox label have always found favour in my record collection, what with their classic 'Orbiter' by Marzz being played regularly by yours truly still! That man Marzz teams up with Dano for this tech trance hybrid, with vocals from an old hardcore recording demanding us to all to 'make some noise!' followed by some twisted Silicon-esque bleeps, this is tremendous. By far the best thing to come from Detox since Orbiter!

Jon The Baptist - "Baby I Need You" [White - UK] PRG 001

I have no idea what the label of this is but that doesn't stop me loving it to pieces. My favourite producer of the moment Kamui delivers a simply blinding reworking, that deceives you into thinking it will go all light in the break until a most haunted bassline comes in to destroy the nearest speaker. On the other side Jon's original is energetic and of a high standard you've come to expect with his productions! Legendary.

Ruffneck + Ophidian - "What Therefore Are Truths" [Protocast - NL] PROTOCAST 001

On first listen, this release knocked me senseless as all four techno tracks are of the highest order in both hardness and quality. When I played this at a recent free party as the last track of my set the reaction was quite huge and all the other tracks on the release are mind blowing to say the least. 'What Therefore Are Truths' features spoken vocals and the most distorted of all kick drums to accompany. What a monster debut!

Kindervater - "Sternenweg 5" [E-Cutz - DE] EC2005-3

Wherever I play out there is always an E-Cutz tune in my record bag and here Kindervater delivers a more than worthy follow up to his phenomenal 'Ftp://013.074.94/' track (which still is a huge favourite of mine). 'Sternenweg 5' incorporates a rather catchy riff and slows the pace slightly compared to its predecessor but will definitely win favour with the softer trance DJs.

Also Recommended:

- Bart Claesson - "Playmo" [Yakuza - NL]
- Tocs - "1" [Druck - DE]
- Kaveh Azizi - "Feeling Alive" [Inspired - UK]
- Bas Mooy + Vincent De Wit - "The Hours (Remix)" [Arms - NL]
- Michael Parsberg + Flipside - "Bang The Box" [Go For It! - DE]

Forthcoming Bookings for Louk:

- Fri 2nd Sep - Premonition @ Candystore (Plymouth)
- Sat 15th Oct - Eyecon @ Dance Academy (Plymouth)
- Fri 25th Nov - TBC (Long Eaton) - Trancewarez launch night

If you would like Louk to review your productions please email louk909@hotmail.com

All the best

Louk

[Agent 24]

Nice one Louk, I always enjoy reading your reviews! Will make an effort to hunt down some more of those tracks to have a listen.

Look forward to hearing the Jon the Baptist track soon, loving his recent stuff.... :clap:

[capone13]

Quality reviews as always matey, also read a couple of your reviews in TTR Magazine, missed the last few issues tho. :cry:

[Soundfixation]

the jon the baptist tune is.....JTB - "I Need You" [Black Groove- UK] BGR001

[Joe-E]

the jon the baptist tune is.....JTB - "I Need You" [Black Groove- UK] BGR001

I thaught that was gonna be released on another lable ;)

[Si the Sigh]

M8, thats no debut from Ruffneck and Ophidian. Those guys are huge in the hardcore scene. Check out Ophidian's tracks on Enzyme, like Butterfly VIP & Hammerhead plus a wealth of others. Awesome productions! :love:

[Louk]

i know that my good man, debut on protocast records i meant :)

Protocast 001 init

check it out

Louk

[Si the Sigh]

Ah got ya! Yea that tracks wicked. ;)

[DJ Corbzy]

Yeah that Protocast is wicked...dutch schranz/hardcore...

[LEE.S.I]

I thought that Renegade Scorpion tune was quite me self,wasnt a like master pice production felt like fisting hte air :lol: