Deepsky "Brambledog"

A few years ago, the dance music scene witnessed a trifecta of labels that tragically fell to financial hardship: Bonzai Music in 2002, and Hooj Choons and Kinetic Records in 2003. Bonzai was eventually relaunched and Hooj is slated for a 2007 return. But the timing invariably led to a number of abandoned projects and releases by artists, many that will never see the light of day. Such is the case with Deepsky´s untitled album originally slated for release by Kinetic in 2004. In 2005 Proton Music picked up ´Lost In The Moment´ for a remix contest, and Release Records signed ´Ghost´ with a pack of remixes. Here in 2006 ´Brambledog´ finds it´s way to a proper release, alongside a remix by Trent Cantrelle. How does this blast from the past fare? Let´s find out.

The ´Original Mix´ immediately begins banging away, returning to Deepsky form with 4/4 progressive trance beats, offsetting with percussion on the downbeats. The compositional layering is expertly done, particularly between the drums and effects panning. But then those synths - those awful Virus trance riffs we buried at the scene of raves before the turn of the century - creep in and take over. Just when you think you´ve survived the itch to tear the headphones from your head, a blues harmonica of all things emerges in the breakdown and rides alongside the trance stabs for the duration of the track. I found myself dancing in my living room and tapping my fingers on the table, indulged by a combination of sheer bemusement and delightfully guilty pleasure. I also quickly checked to make sure I was the only one in the room.

Faced with a cheese trolley of loops and effects (one in particular swiped from a wildly popular trance anthem), Trent Cantrelle´s single blessing could be that the remix would sound nothing like the original. Except it sounds exactly like it. Tit for tat, with a few slightly re-arranged elements, including the constant re-sampling of every element to make sure we didn´t miss them the first time. I enjoyed this one too, but eventually sought out beer and pretzels to go with the harmonica.

The release is a sign of mercy to Deepsky fans, starved for material after the promise of an album over two years ago. Unfortunately, it´s utter sonic torment to everyone else. ´Brambledog´ is dated, and sounds it. The frenetic, overzealously bouncy drums and trance stabs sounded great in 1999 when ´Stargazer´ dominated the landscape, by now it´s become a tired rehashing of a sound gone stale and rustic. I´d say they were capable of better than this, but that remains to be seen for the time being.