Artist: Oscar G
Title: Space
Label: Future Groove
By: Michael Schreiber | 21 January 2003
Tracklist:

• A: Space Downtown Miami Mix
• B: Low End Specialists Miami Vice Mix

Oscar G "Space"

The Future Groove label unleashes some hard-hitting grooves, each being a unique interpretation of a track entitled, “Space” that is the creation of one of the most notable purveyors of the tribal sound in the Southeast for many years, Oscar G. The track’s title also refers to the Miami club where Oscar G. holds his weekly residency, working the turntables for over 12 hours on a very frequent basis, which ultimately has gained him worldwide notoriety for his proficiency to do so. Space also has become a hot spot due to monthly visits by numerous well-recognized global djs, including Danny Tenaglia, Deep Dish, Superchumbo, John Digweed and Carl Cox.

As side note “news flash,” is Space’s recent decision to move the club a half-block away to become bigger and better. The outside terrace has been transitioned to a larger area on the roof, the sound system is upgraded, the dancefloor is much larger with higher ceilings and two stories and boasts one of the biggest DJ booths in the US. All of this just in time for the upcoming Winter Music Conference, with Danny Tenaglia returning there for his yearly marathon dj session on the first day of the conference, Tuesday, March 18th. He is scheduled for 2am until ? (most likely 5pm or later Wednesday, if you want to make a prediction based upon the last two-year’s parties concluding hours).

But let’s get back to what we’re really here to talk about… “Space” that is the track. No two mixes sound the same, although you could group the “Downtown Miami Mix” and the “Chus & Ceballos Iberican Remix” into the tribal category and Low End Specialist’s and Tony Thomas’ into the techno category. I really got to hand it to the Future Groove label for making such a diverse package of mixes, for you don’t see this range of sounds on one release much these days.

Downtown Miami Mix:

You could also consider this the original mix for this is Oscar G’s creation. Hard edgy beats strewn with electro samples give this one the darkest tribal feel out of the four. There’s the inclusion of a minor-key digital spacey spin down effect starting out the track, layered with a steady handclap, and four-beat bongo-drumming beat, along with a repeating deep, somewhat evil sounding male vocal segment of “You have now entered Space.” At the first beat drop-out segment, the build-up begins with a computerized sample reminiscent in sound to those found in Lil’ Mo Yang’s “Reach.” You can’t help but notice the positive similarities of this mix to Oscar’s other recent productions as a member of “Funky Green Dogs” and their latest album, “Super California.” Listen to this one and you’ll be educated on what sounds Oscar weaves into his nights at Space to make those hot Florida nights even steamier.

The Low End Specialists Miami Vice Mix
Low End Specialists, hailing from New York with a current residency Thursday nights at Centro-Fly, take on a different sound from the start with echoing drums and a 8-part fast progressing tapping of metal, centering around what really stands out in this track – a very pronounced and emphasized hard-metal pounding sound as if someone is banging on a metal door. Their digital samples, which rush in and out, are not as pronounced as some of the other remixes, as if they lost energy before getting to the forefront. What sounds like the wind a helicopter creates when landing introduces the breakdown and when the drumbeats come back in, they are not really accentuated in a way where you can hear the breakdown end and the new segment start. While the focus of this mix is on the drums, the very minimal usage of other samples/sounds leaves it somewhat lacking in energy as it progresses. Clocking in at 9 minutes 10 seconds makes this a bit more noticeable with the repetitions drawn out for so long with no significant additions or changes to keep the listener drawn into it. These guys are excellent djs and have produced some other great remixes/productions. Hopefully this one won’t get lost amongst other similar tracks on the racks, which center mostly on drumbeats and somewhat lack on other elemental inclusions also.