Artist: Piliavin & Zimbardo
Title: Plan B / Late Night Return
Label: Distraekt Records
By: Matthew Esler | 30 August 2002
Tracklist:

• A: Plan B
• B: Late Night Return

Piliavin & Zimbardo "Plan B / Late Night Return"

Piliavin & Zimbardo (Paul Jackson & Gary Wilson) have produced a number of excellent big tribal monsters in the past. They seem to be big fans of the double A side, giving any fans great value for money (apart from the fact that their tracks are generally of excellent quality). Releases include "Dub Boy"/"Deep Trouble" (on Distraekt), "Roots"/"Alcanzar" (on Honchos), "Just Once"/"Midway Lesson" (on Sondos) and "Zimbardo's Theme"/"Forefit Blue" (on Honchos).

This release on Distraekt (their own label) is no exception to their double A side rule either...

On the A side we have "Plan B", which begins with an unintelligible (well, to me it was anyway!) but enthusiastic vocal snippet. This introduces a very serious and dark hypnotic tribal beat. The excitement in this track is gently built up, with the introduction of some high end percussion and a raucous drum. The vocal snippet is repeated to good effect to introduce various bits and pieces, and the track gradually builds up to a fairly nervous sounding and serious collection of sounds.

"Plan B" isn't particularly interested in being funky, more likely interested in hypnotizing you with fear. There are some excellent spooky effects and background noises that would perhaps be used to much better effect in a track with a bit more of a story or a feeling to it. "Plan B", although put together extremely well, seems to lack a certain something to set it apart from the rest.

Even with a wealth of awesome sounds and what would seem to be an interesting and fluid structure, I can't help but feel that "Plan B" really needs a remix...

The fullness of "Plan B" doesn't help it, as the individual parts all deviate nicely from anything stock standard, but we can't really get a good impression of them... maybe in a heightened state of awareness, this would be better, but nevertheless it is still a bit of a stomper.

On the B side we have "Late Night Return". This track starts with a few things that are generally received very well by most listeners: conga drums, a well-effected vocal sample, a subdued tribal drum and a nice original treble synth. From the outset this track contains at least five different elements, and these are built on gradually as the steady tribal groove takes off.

"Late Night Return" has a very smooth rhythmic pulsating feel to it. In typical tribal style, it gently builds up to each subtle change, introducing said changes with a subdued climax, and somehow ebbing and flowing in a way that you may think would be agonizing... but it isn't. Before too long, the feeling of anticipation has sufficiently built to allow for the introduction of the big phat groovy bassline.

The bassline kicks in just after a mini-breakdown, and some elements of the track are removed or moved into the background, to let the bassline stand out for a while. Gently building up to introduce new layers of spooky echoed voices and swirling synths, "Late Night Return" fills up, only to quickly empty out again in preparation for a breakdown.

A very short and sweet breakdown of trippy and piercing sounds is broken by the return of that groovy bassline, soon joined by the congas, and in no time we are once more riding along on Piliavin & Zimbardo's funky tribal train into the mix out and out of the music.

With an inclusion on Satoshi Tomiie's Global Underground - Nubreed, you already know that "Late Night Return" has to be something good.

"Plan B" rates a 7 to me, but "Late Night Return" is closer to being a 9-worthy stormer, and so this piece of plastic gets an 8.