Artist: Lance Cashion
Title: The Sound : The Unmixed EP
Label: Proton Music
By: Jason Calvert | 28 September 2005
Tracklist:

• 1. Blue Haze - Messy Textures
• 2. Derek Howell - Western High
• 3. Micah - Pale Creatures
• 4. Ray & Peter - That Moment
• 5. Digital Witchcraft - Brindavan (Momu Mix)
• 6. Rich D. - Sunrise Girl
• 7. Blue Haze - Nine Ten
• 8. Relisys - Agenda
• 9. Sanctuary Moon - Dont Touch It
• 10. Dan Portch - Shoreline

Lance Cashion "The Sound : The Unmixed EP"

Proton's first compilation compiled by Lance Cashion created waves upon its release last year, largely due to its upfront collection of forward thinking unsigned tracks. Each of the artists donated their tracks to help launch the Proton Music label, and they are presented here on the EP both for exposure and for the Proton guys to express their gratitude.

Michael Burns starts things off with his slow burner "Messy Textures". Layering down smooth drum patters and warm piano lines, the atmosphere surrounding the composition is breathtaking. This track is in my opinion the highlight in Burns' career, and there is most certainly nothing "messy" about it.

Derek Howell's "Western High" pushes things forward, whilst retaining a laid back touch. Simplistic melodies keep things running, and a warm bassline ensures direction. This warms us up for Micah's "Pale Creatures", which pushes the tempo up a notch, and places a large focus on tight percussion and light underlying melodies.

Ray & Peter step up with "That Moment", which uses an array of overlaid melodies and shifts in drum patters to create a great feel which is cohesive throughout and overall refreshing. But the next true standout comes from veterans Digital Witchcraft, and with Momu to provide the remix, the results are quite stunning. Light breaks percussion, tough bassline, and lush atmospheric melody lines. A beautiful take on the Original Mix.

Chicago's Rich D. provides "Sunrise Girl", which keeps things minimal, with light background melodies and a simple bassline, ensuring that the mood never becomes overpowering. However, it seems that Michael Burns is set on stealing the show, with another gem in the way of "Nine Ten". He seems to have a way with his melodies, which are often simplistic, but extremely effective, building an abundance of atmosphere. Another graceful Blue Haze production.

Joshua Waddell under his Relisys guise has created quite a name for himself, being renowned for his dark atmospheres and tight breakbeats. "Agenda" takes us on an underground excursion, fusing dark bass elements, tough breaks, and a haunting guitar riff, which when all put together creates a very unique track which is much to Waddell's credit.

When Jonathan Shelly started producing under his Sanctuary Moon guise, it was never his intention to hit it big or create a name for himself. But when you boast tight production qualities as can be seen on "Don't Touch It", it's kind of hard not to be noticed. Taking its time to build itself up, it forms a large contrast between a high end melody and dark bass rumbles. A very tight arrangement.

Finally, we are given "Shoreline", the track which gracefully opened Lance Cashion's compilation. Creating strong atmosphere in a similar vein to "Messy Textures", Dan Portch introduces a smooth breakbeat and overlays light melodies, setting up a very airy and laid back feel.

Certain tracks on the EP stand out over others, in particular "Messy Textures" and "Shoreline". But each track holds well on its own, and fans of the original compilation will be very grateful that they can finally get their hands on some of the hottest cuts from the CD. This shows that Proton Music know just what their fans are after, and aren't afraid to deliver the goods. Yet again Proton have a winner, and they have yet to put one foot astray. I don't think it needs to be said anymore, but they are most certainly one of the hottest labels doing the rounds at the moment.