Artist: Ryukyu Underground
Title: Seragaki
Label: Baroque Records
By: Simon Jones | 13 July 2004
Tracklist:

• A: Junkie XL Mix
• B: Original Mix

Ryukyu Underground "Seragaki"

Ryukyu Underground are a pair of musical pioneers by the names of Jon Taylor and Keith Gordon, two wandering souls who met by chance during 1998 in Okinawa, Japan where Keith was promoting various events and all night parties. This led to the two developing a musical venture using laptops as the driving force to it's creation, and Ryukyu Underground was born and has since spawned three artist albums. 'Seragaki' is taken from their second album, 'Mo Ashibi', and having had a limited released earlier this year on the Japanese label Respect Records, has now been licensed for a full scale appearance on Baroque Records.

The first mix by 'Junkie XL' featured on the original release, and was well received by the Japanese music community, so here it is for everyone else to enjoy. The mix is a dirty, big room melodic epic, a pumping beats and bass combo creating a solid and satisfying groove that pushes the track forward, with euphoric chords and stirring oriental melodies during the breakdown, subtle key changes and some dirty filter action add the final elements that ensure this mix will make any dancefloor explode. A real hands in the air moment.

Ryukyu Underground's own 'Original Mix' takes a heads down direction with it's bouncing groove and trance hooks, the oriental melody being used in spades to as chords trickle up and over the top of the beats in trippy fashion. More emotive than the Junkie XL Mix, this is a perfect mix for this early evening or late night sets, with a shifting hypnotic bassline that holds everything together, setting the stage for whatever you may desire to do with the next record. It may be too fluffy for some, but the chord progression is absolutely stunning.

A big release which celebrates Baroque's 40th release with the grandeur the occasion deserves. A killer mix by 'Junkie XL' that you should check out without fail, and at the same time keep your eyes out for a remix 12", which will see a new update for the track from none other than Quivver.