Artist: Trafik Feat Rachel Lamb
Title: Surrender
Label: GU Music
By: Jason Calvert | 13 July 2005
Tracklist:

• A1: Trafik 'No Retreat No Surrender' Mix
• B1: Blake Potter & Habersham 'Loslung Phunk' Reprise
• B2: K Roxx 'Punk Roxx' Mix

Trafik Feat Rachel Lamb "Surrender"

The major concluding opus from Trafik's artist album "Bullet" gets some major reworking, turning it into one of the hottest vinyls going around at the moment. First up we get Trafik's own "No Retreat, No Surrender" Mix.

Opening with a blissful intro, we're brought into a solid 4/4 interpretation. With some tight fitting effects, Rachel Lamb's vocal is brought into the spotlight, and melds with the music perfectly. We're then brought to the first breakdown, which is just bursting with anticipation, until it finally explodes with the main chorus and a very thumping bass hook backed by a peak time melody. Into the second major breakdown, we get an even higher sense of anticipation than the first, and then back into the vocal maddness again. An extremely tight production, and I have come to expect no less from Trafik.

Giving us some time to recover from that mix, we're brought to Blake Potter & Habersham's "Loslung Phunk" Reprise. The perfect accompaniment for those who enjoyed their main mix of the track, as featured on Jonathen Lisle's recent Bedrock compilation. Building on the foundations of the big room version, it serves as a breathtaking intro to any set, or just a beautiful version of the original to chill out to on its own.

The final mix on the vinyl comes from John Elliott himself, the vocalist of Trafik, under his K-Roxx guise. Taking the track in a much different direction, as the "Punk Roxx" title suggests, the vocals have been totally ripped up, distorted, and scattered randomly throughout the mix. A very heavy guitar effect and driving bassline push the track forward for what is sure to be a huge floorfiller to drop at the peak of the night.

This is definately one of the most tightly produced set of mixes I have come across in recent times, and is sure to be near the top of my record pile for a while to come. Trafik have not let us down yet, and this is a definite positive sign of what the future holds for them.