Artists: Various Artists
Title: Secret Weapons
Label: Tronic Music
Release Date: Out Now!
I’m lucky enough to get to hear alot of new music every day of my life and most of the time it’s music that gets me excited, or more than excited, ‘cheesin’ as we like to say in Scotland! When I realised I was getting this one sent my way I was exactly that. One of the most anticipated things on the beat schedule this week was the release of the forthcoming ‘Secret Weapons’ compilation album from Tronic Music…
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We braved the arctic blast and ventured up to Glasgow to see the return of Glasgow’s prodigal son, Lars Sandberg (aka Funk D'Void) for a hometown gig on New Year’s EveSince it was originally set up in 1994, Christian Smith’s Tronic imprint has been a leading force in the global dance music circuit with a catalogue of groundbreaking releases. Tronic was amongst the first of all labels to embrace sounds from house and techno to create records that DJ’s from both scenes would play and still reflects the early sounds of house and techno amongst heavier, more body-rattling sounds (as I call them). Tronic re-emerged in 2009 with an almighty BANG! Pleasing us beat-lovers with tracks and releases from the likes of Mark Broom, Fergie, Pan-Pot, Mark Schumacher, Wehbba, Umek and of course label-boss Christian Smith amongst an almighty archive of others.
The soul-touching ‘Secret Weapons’ compilation features exclusive tracks by Loco & Jam, Raffaele Rizzi, Reinier Zonneveld, Skober, Crazy Sonic, Frank Biazzi, Dialekt & JJ Mullor as well as a remastered version of Christian Smith’s ‘Human Machine’. And with the label priding itself on supporting both new and established artists, this latest compilation is the perfect pinnacle of all the sounds and influences that have made Tronic Music one of the worlds most profound imprints.
Straight in there at full-pelt with a beauty by Loco & Jam ‘Say it Again’, a gorgeous track with a real driving energy which carries through the whole album, warped in a melody that’s slipped in just at the right places but all in all a perfect warm up record complimenting the whole rest of the album cutely. It’s funny, I don’t know about you but I get a real funny feeling inside when what I hear makes it happen… This next track gave my heart a lift and made it beat a wee bit faster – compliments of Raffaele Rizzi with ‘Break Point’. Turning it up a notch, the powerful groove and dogged rythym hits you inside, building up to a short but bursting break, speeding up the pace into much more of a techno feel.
My favourite of the entire album is a new found love of mine, absolutely astounding artist Reinier Zonneveld’s track ‘Cholnare’ – the ambience of the track and perfectly fused unceasingly intense bassline and mesmerizing vocal completely set the album into the place it should be… A melodic yet warehousey feel with a bass that sits in the bottom of your tummy sharing the dark and immerse territory of the previous track but rolling into the next perfectly.
The whole album has a feel that, to me, is perfect for peak-time dancefloors. Not any old dancefloors though. The ones you can hardly see on. You can hardly see, but you can feel everything. The ones where the floor’s concrete and the walls are concrete and the bass bounces off them. And where people are completely lost in the music. That kind.
Frank Biazzi – one of the key producers in the album with his Original Mix of ‘Contrast’ (by himself) breaks that darkness of the previous tracks just a touch with a bit more turbulence with stabs and hi-hats and a more speedy build up to a quirky smash! What an energy and buzz this one creates! Leading us out of the album is Christian Smith’s ‘Human Machine’. The reworked version of the 2013 release is a supreme dancefloor track that is groovy, musical and minimal with random yet intriguing vocals about humans and machines (surprise, surprise!).
A real diverse album with a range of techno styles created by Tronic and especially well named ‘Secret Weapons’. The definition of a secret weapon is something or someone that no one knows about and that will give you an advantage over your competitors or enemies. Where there’s no competitors or enemies in the world of music, these are secret weapons to an absolute smasher on the dancefloors all over the scene, tastefully chosen to push out the best in Tronic’s recent releases. Check it out but prepare to feel fuzzy!
