Artist: Kink & Fabrice Lig
Title: Charleroi DC
Label: Melodymathics
Cat No: MMOS03
Release Date: Out Now!
Genre: House/Techno
Bulgarian man of the moment and live impresario, Kink joins forces with French purveyor of futuristic funk Farbice Lig for a new EP on Melodymathics featuring a whole host of brilliant remixes.
First on to the platter is the duo’s ‘Charleroi DC’ (House Version) which is a delicious slice of hi-tech-soul fused with wigged out blissful Detroit House. It echoes some of Lig’s earlier work on his acclaimed album ‘Galactic Soul Odyssey’ and features some seriously funky eighties synth stabs along with divine jazzy pads straight out of the Underground Resistance back catalogue. Upbeat, vibrant, and infectious the whole thing resonates around a soulful male vocal sample which won’t leave your brain until you’ve mercilessly hunted down your local record dealer to beg, borrow or steal a copy.
Detroit Swindle slow things down, dirty things up, and add the jack factor for their house jam. Still nice and deep, this one is an acid-laden winner which will get feet moving and the dance floor heading in the right direction before it turns the heat up a few notches half-way through the track. Addictive acid-house action all the way.
Third up comes Ian O’Brien’s interpretation. The enigmatic producer who now resides in Tokyo released his first album back in 1996. A timeless classic ‘Desert Scores’ fused jazz, downtempo and motor city techno in a way few have matched or surpassed since. His releases since then have been sporadic, making O’Brien’s rare ventures into techno not to be missed. Does it disappoint? The remix is quite simply genius. Some trademark jazzy chords take the track even further into the heart and soul of Detroit. The male vocal is an even more central feature adding another layer of emotion to the track as it is intricately woven in along with acid squelches and melodic analog-lines. Finally, the whole thing is elevated by glorious rising strings, which add a sense of epic scale and make this a sure fire record to reach for at the end of the night. Any DJ worth is salt should have this one in the locker.
Melodymann have the tough task of following that one up with their own house orientated revamp. Adding some jazz piano grooves, smart vocal cut-ups and loose latin percussion they provide a fairly laid back groover which noodles along nicely. Nothing wrong with this interpretation and it would work well for a warming up the dancefloor. Overall an extremely strong package that you really should pick up. For me, the winner is the Ian O’Brien mix by a country mile. Pure motor city bliss and an essential addition to any Detroit connoisseur’s collection.