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Producer David Durango has hit his stride as producer in the past few years with notable releases on labels like NRK, Resopal, and Dessous. On his latest release, the Forest EP, he joins the roster of Claudia Ayala's Mina label based in Switzerland.

Offering two deep, dark, and delicious originals - "Velvet Forest" and "Sleeping In The Way" - Durango's release is complemented by a pair of soulful and rootsy remixes of "Velvet Forest", courtesy of rising talent Mandy Jordan. The original version is an elegant piece of sound sculpture, heavy on the layers of dense atmosphere. A swirling deep house groove and tight bass line keep the funk intact preventing any unauthorized space flight.

"Sleeping In The Way" reworks the same formula adding a breaky, almost two step, hitch to the beat. The broken beats add some tension, as Durango presents stranger, more tweaked late night melodies than on "Velvet". As such, this track takes on a much dreamier quality, especially with the dramatic pause of a build-up found right in the middle.

Vekton Music's Mandy Jordan reworks "Velvet Forest" twice on the B-side, first with a remix and then with the appropriately titled "Detroit Dub Remix". The original remix strips most everything away from the original other than the sense of deepness created via moody synth pad work. This is minimal tech house in the true sense of the word, not because it's made of buzzes and clicks, but because Jordan's rework strips away everything but the most basic motifs for something simple but effective. The dub does everything a dub is supposed to: channel the spirit of Basic Channel, offer a memorable yet minimal groove, and in this case, exhort the spirit of Detroit with the well-executed use of percussive elements. The beats here are crisp as the remix does its best to remain tidy and compact. It succeeds and does this EP.

Artist: David Durango Title: Velvet Forest EP Label: Mina Records Tracklist Sleeping In The Way Velvet Forest Velvet Forest - Mandy Jordan Detroit Dub Velvet Forest - Mandy Jordan Remix www.mina-records.com www.myspace.com/daviddurango Our Rating: 7/10