Funk Harmony Park "Crystal Sky"

Arctic Wave Records is an Icelandic-based project to come about this year. With an over-saturation of new labels spawning from the ´digital revolution´, it is interesting to see this one supporting the vinyl format, and ´Crystal Sky´ from Funk Harmony Park sticks out from the crowded market with a promising first release, along with a remix from one of the most respected DJ/producer outfits of the progressive genre, Hernan Cattaneo and John Tonks.

The original kicks off with a combination of subtle melodic progressions, complimenting a tough, housey kick drum and hard-panned tribal style conga percussion. The birth of a superb progressive bassline also sees the introduction of the lead melody line, which works nicely with the bass, before a dubbed out vocal part rises to the fore. Some guitar licks add a funky tinge to the piece, and a welcome one at that. Strings, pads and some heavily reverbed percussive arrangements work alongside the bassline keys to create a warm bed of atmosphere for the breakdown, while the child-like vocal utterings of ´Crystal Sky´ add further emotive depth. The groove once again takes hold of the track while the emotive elements are all but lost, to drive the track to it´s latter stages. We return once more to the powerful melody and bassline drops before the ultimate close of the track, which as a whole manages to find a great balance between musicality and dancefloor-led groove.

The remix from Hernan Cattaneo & John Tonks is one which, in some respects, certifies both this release and Arctic Wave Records as a venture. While this isn´t a favourable prospect for new labels, a remix from such a widely respected duo will succeed in grabbing the attention of enthusiasts with hundreds of tracks to plough through on a weekly basis. The reworking utilizes the spaced-out vocals of the original, and an essentially un-altered lead melodic line, while creating a smattering of fresh parts to create an altogether lighter, bassline-led interpretation. What becomes apparent in this mix is that the lead synth from the original which relied heavily on the key-changing bassline to give the piece a sense of emotion, is used more sparingly, making way for an electronic slap-bass. While this may find favour in a club environment, for me what made the original an impressive start to the release was its distinct musicality, which is lacking here. There are however a series of fresh melodic ideas on the remix, which could have been given further significance with a changing of the bassline keys at some point.

A positive start for Arctic Wave, with an original which is packed to the gills with powerful musicality, funk and groove. The remix, courtesy of Cattaneo & Tonks, will also have its supporters, but for me fell short of the original due to the removal of depth and emotivity.