Advertisement
With advance support pouring-in from around the globe, New York City's fast-rising Hidden Recordings offers up "The Great Lawn", a late-summer scorcher from label bosses and production duo, Deepak Sharma and Dieter Krause. This wonderfully cinematic compilation of eight diverse mixes is an exceptionally well-rounded opus of sorts, crafted by unequivocal stars of the techno sky who share a love of the original source material and a vocal respect for Sharma and Krause's growing body of work. It is no surprise that the great "Great Lawn" is inspiring enthusiastic praise from partiers, press and preeminent tastemakers like Richie Hawtin, Dubfire and Chris Fortier.
At the base of this enormous release is the succinctly emotive original production. Sharma and Krause begin with a subtle but decidedly electroid rhythm and a simple, pounding low end that eschews melody for momentum. Only when the dense, percolating groove breaks down does the track's mournful, gypsy motif fully coalesce, shadowed by a droning, aboriginal bass. "The Great Lawn" is a sure-fire main floor mover, deserving high marks from DJs and dancers alike.
The eight guest remixes deliciously cover the wide techno spectrum from deep, late night insanity to vintage, analog stompers. New Yorker Alexi Delano weighs-in with a moody, hypnotic interpretation, embracing the track's enigmatic melodies over luscious tech house beats. In the hands of popular San Francisco producer, Alland Byallo, the single becomes a deep and sexy disco spacescape with washes of glittering melody, intimate percussive moments and a gentle, unabashedly beautiful breakdown. Franklin de Costa's similarly deep mix presents a driving, restlessly dreamy perspective but it is Andrea Ferlin's chugging rendition that demands the most attention. This classical mash-up is nothing short of breathtaking; after a moody intro, Ferlin deftly guides us through a cavernous build-up and the track's trippy, clarinet crescendo.
It is Minus' super star, Ambivalent, though, who delivers the most substantial peak hour fun with his cut. In this lean and mean party monster, he relies less on the signature melody, instead exposing the beautifully efficient musical statement at the tune's core. Also stripping away layers of flourish, Barraca Music head, Andrew Grant, employs insect-like percussive chatter in contrast with a spacious groove while Cadenza and Mobilee artist, Argenis Brito, brings out a cartoonish swagger and DJ Seoul drops a big, rollicking chunk of hands-in-the-air, analog minimalism.
"The Great Lawn" is a strong release, with something for every time of night, every dance floor vibe. It showcases not only Deepak Sharma's and Dieter Krause's stellar talents but also gives voice to a wide range of masterful musicians, gathered together on a united front, declaring, "This is the state of techno now."
| Artist: Deepak Sharma + Dieter Krause Title: The Great Lawn EP Label: Hidden Recordings Tracklist www.myspace.com/dieterkrause www.deepaksharma.net Our Rating: 8/10 |
![]() |