Artist: Nick Muir
Title: G-Platz
Label: Audio Therapy
By: Carleton Neil | 13 February 2008
Tracklist:

• A1: Original Mix
• A2: Reprise
• B1: Pig & Dan Mix
• B2: Neil Quigley 'Pacemaker' Dub

Nick Muir "G-Platz"

Nick Muir is just a normal guy. It's not uncommon to find someone like him whittling away at tracks in the studio; a remix here, a collaboration there.

Wait a minute.

Unless you're collaborating with world-renowned DJs (Digweed), contributing to remixes of some of electronic music's biggest influences (New Order) and live acts (Underworld), producing classic time-tested remixes of tracks like Way Out West's 'The Fall' that are still as dark and sinister as ever, and hammering the proverbial nail in the coffin of late-90s trance ('Heaven Scent'), there aren't many like Nick Muir.

The only way Nick could follow opportunities and contributions like that is by getting in the studio himself. From the frightening bass lines and gentle synths of 'Frankenstein' to the subdued but stoic 'Savin' You' and the cheeky 'I Feel Real', the quality of Nick Muir's track record is consistently high. With 'G Platz', he's busted out a thick, fat-fisted stomper that hits the Zeitgeist where it counts.

Carried by some punchy acid lines and speaker-overloading synths, Muir's original mix bleats like a group of dizzy sheep stuck on a carnival ride, with full bodied hats and chunky snares covered by some swinging fills that are continuously pitch-bent like a slide whistle. As what sounds like HAL on a caffeine high tries to make sense of the situation, a confused droid bleeps by in the breakdown and asks for directions to board some train, the synths of which approach and actually open up the track, perhaps a small nod to the spacious ominousness of Muir's old progressive house tracks.

The reprise is quite similar to Muir's original mix; shorter than the original mix and devoid of any low-end percussion, it is very good for small transitions in DJ mixes, but the real meat and potatoes of the release is the Pig & Dan mix. The introduction starts under a freeway bridge, a band of kangaroos breaking out didgeridoos as sirens sweep by overheard, and transitioning to a mindblowingly kinky bass line that truly commands the track and provides all of the swing. A stark contrast to the full-forward original mix, the track's staggered song arc introduces the vocal much sooner as it rattles and rumbles, stopping and starting again which continuously brings prominence to the bass line. Dan Duncan & Igor Tchkotoua have done an excellent job creating a versatile mix that is both funky and dark, and almost capable in a breaks mix.

Neil Quigley has paired with Nick Muir in the past, notably their collaboration on 'Feedback From The City'. Here Quigley is called upon for remix work, and his 'Pacemaker' Dub is much different again from the original mix, taking things down a notch and moving to the lounge. Quigley's dub is as organic as the Everglades and as sleek as the Miami nightlife, and after some cavernous cowbells and subdued claps, Quigley transforms rough baselines into soft purring, and an uptight AI into a sultry, velvet vocal while he envelops the track in ambient sustained synths.

The real strength of this release comes from its smorgasbord of styles and from tracks that get better with each listen. Muir's original mix pumps out the full-on electro, Pig & Dan's mix can go dark or stay funky, Quigley's laid back dub is the near-exact opposite of the original and even the reprise is useful as a DJ tool. As 'G Platz' is getting plays from a variety of DJs from Anthony Pappa to Nick Warren, there's something for everyone.