Artist: Nick Muir
Title: Airtight
Label: Vapour Recordings
By: Ryan Simoneau | 17 July 2008
Tracklist:

• TBC

Nick Muir "Airtight"

Nick Muir is better known by the Bedrock alias he shares with cohort John Digweed but here he’s flying solo as he’s been delving more into over the last few years. He helped usher in the “progressive” era and with this release on Vapour Recordings, he aims to recapture a bit of that dancefloor magic.

The original mix is a driving slice of old-school progressive house that will surely please fans of his past work. This is peak time stuff we’re talking about and of course the production is top notch, as you would expect from an artist of Nick’s caliber. For me, progressive house sometimes lacked emotion as it became too dark once the tribal elements were inserted but this tune feels like the late 90’s heyday and for that I’m thankful.

The Monaque remix takes the tune into a more minimal direction. It retains much of the melody but the bubbling beats don’t really do it for these ears. But as minimal has become so massive over the last couple of years, obviously this version will find favour in many fans. Just not this one.

D-Nox and Beckers bring back the energy and emotion of the original in their take of Nick’s track. The beats have been beefed up to give a house-y/breaks-y vibe, something that would no doubt sit quite comfortably in a Hybrid set. There’s a nice breakdown in the middle and I must say, this one might even pack more of an emotional punch than the original!

Avilo takes the reigns for the final mix and he gives “Airtight” a much deeper sound. Lots of drums to be savored here but Avilo also retains much of the original’s peaktime prowess too. This is the mix for the madness that is primetime Ibiza.

Overall this is a very nice little package. I wasn’t keen on the Monaque mix but the others certainly do the original justice. This isn’t the kind of track you’d be talking about in ten years time but for 2008 it will serve dancefloors and clubbers quite well.