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tracey - skyfall (incl. deniro remixes) - voyage direct - vinyl

New Copy

Genre: House

1. Skyfall
2. Earthrise
3. Skyfall (Deniro Mental Remix)
4. Skyfall (Deniro Oude Remix)

Amongst those on the Amsterdam club scene, Tom Ruijg is highly regarded as a DJ and producer. With a production history that stretches back to the turn of the decade, and includes releases under his given name on Bangbang!, Karat, Hot Waves and Soweso, he�s no newcomer, either.

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Skyfall is his first 12� for Voyage Direct, following a fine contribution to the First Mission compilation � alongside friend and sometime studio partner Efde � back in 2015. More pertinently, the EP marks the first time he�s used the Tracey moniker for a release.

The title track offers a near perfect balance between head-in-the-clouds melodiousness � delivered via cascading, new age influenced synthesiser motifs, starry electronics and crystalline lead lines � and serious dancefloor grunt. The beats are crunchy and distorted, with that distinctive swing that comes from vintage drumcomputers. As a result, �Skyfall� feels timeless, as if it was a pan-generational collaboration between Tracey, early Detroit futurists, and early �90s ambient techno producers.

There�s a similarly enduring quality about the equally impressive �Earthrise�. While the restless rhythm track is reflective of 21st century European techno, Tracey�s hi-hat hits recall classic Motor City productions. Throw in the kind of ghostly chords and TB-303 bass you�d expect to hear on vintage Larry Heard workouts � not to mention some complimentary electronic lead lines�� and you�ve got another ageless composition on your hands.

On the flip, Tape Records co-founder Deniro � a producer famed for his analogue-rich take on techno � delivers two tasty interpretations of �Skyfall�. The �Mental Mix� flips the original on its� head, delivering a rugged, acid-fired box jam that replaces Ruijg�s cascading melodies with starry new electronics, and seemingly unstoppable waves of TB-303 tweakery.

The chiming, life-affirming melodies return on his Oude Remix, which smartly fixes them to a thrusting, energy-packed rhythm track full of scattergun fills and bassbin-bothering kick drums. It�s a fittingly sweaty end to a superb first Tracey outing on Voyage Direct.