Artist: Sian
Title: Juggernaut
Label: Connect Four Records
By: Nick Williams | 29 March 2007
Tracklist:

• A1: Juggernaut (Original Mix)
• A2: Juggernaut (Satoshi Fumi Mix)
• B1: William Flynn

Sian "Juggernaut"

For Tic Tac Toe Records' newly born sibling, Danish label owner DJ Patrick Bateman has created Connect Four Records. While Tic Tac Toe is focused on the harder, tech influenced minimal sounds, Connect Four was created to bring Patrick's deeper, more melodic inspirations out to the public. This label brings some of the more beautiful deep tech house to the forefront, allowing you to open or close your night with something to remember. Their second release brings the gypsy raised Spaniard, Sian, to the forefront, with some deliciously deep tunes.

'Juggernaut' makes its mark with a subtle, rolling groove with a cracker of a snare. A beautiful stabbed synth line coupled with bass chords changes give the track some emotion without going overboard with energy. While this may not be a peaktime track, you will definitely set a stage with this song, as you float almost effortlessly along. The deepness of the song makes it almost timeless, and I could see enjoying this anytime I want the vibe to take over.

Satoshi Fumi's remix of 'Juggernaut' starts along a similar beat pattern, yet there is more dynamic to this one, definitely takes off from where Sian left off. The bassline brings an unsettling nature compared to the original, yet once the electro stabs come in, you can’t help but groove along. Although a bit more upfront, this one looses a bit of the depth with his choice of pads. The breakdown soars, yet there is little build to get to it. Where the original had cohesiveness, this one sells itself a bit short. Granted, there are some great aspects to the remix, it is just not as captivating as the original.

The b-side, 'William Flynn', brings another original track from Sian, and this one is definitely made for the deeper floors. A rigid groove is created with some hollow sounding drums and some sort of "pipey" sounding woodblock, with somber chords taking the track in a completely different direction than I was thinking it would. Groovy, yet deep as all hell, we stroll along with Sian for this one. The sound palate is excellent with subtle changes keeping your attention and taking you deeper and deeper. An excellent choice for a b-side, and for what it's worth, this is some beautiful music.

Connect Four have built up their lineup for their next few releases, and their future holds some great promise, with Murat Ozer and Theodor Zox lined up for their next release. One thing is for sure, expect some softer, more expressive tones to come from these grooves, and a vibe thick enough to blanket over all your listeners.