 Brass Monkey is the newest project of Graeme Laverty, one of the foremost British progressive music producers. Although he’s not the figure acknowledged on the music scene as widely as, for instance, James Zabiela, he’s a producer whose discography is definitely worth familiarizing with. Opportunity for discovering is provided by two Graeme’s labels that have given birth to lots of diverse, original tunes, permanently staying in the cases of top DJ’s from the whole globe. The name of James Zabiela - one of the most budding DJ’s of the new generation, whose skills can be admired i.e. on ‘Sound in Motion’, compilation released by no more existing Hooj Records - wasn’t mentioned without reason. James teamed up with Paul Sidoli – known from gigs in clubs such as Pacha, Space and Turnmills – and they both set up a new label: Hearing Aid Records. Their primary goal has become to release exceptional pieces only, thanks to which they will attain a respectable position on the market, while fans will benefit in unorthodox, breakthrough productions. The first step on the way to achieve this aim is ‘Big Ride’ – a single that Hearing Aid makes a debut with and Brass Monkey tries to impress a wider audience with his already second 12”. Did the duo Zabiela & Sidoli choose the right course? The first seconds of the opening original mix seem to confirm that the first 12” from the new label was worth waiting for. A calm, seemingly uncomplicated bassline and repetitive, trapped-like snatches of melody lead a somewhat hostile, but at the same time hypnotizing and drowsy atmosphere in. Additional, numerous effects in the form of rattling percussion and bolder arrangements make the track take on a unique, distinctive character and subtly increase the pace, forecasting the inevitable moment when all the gradually accumulating ingredients blow up, creating a wave of beautifully synchronized and layered sounds. Preceded by surfacing violin samples explosion eventually takes the listener on a ‘Big Ride’; a journey that due to a carefully devised vibe building and gradually bottling the emotions up and letting them go remains in the memory for a long time. ‘Breaks Mix’ from the flip doesn’t vary considerably from the original – there’s no point wondering why, as the main mix makes a coherent and tight track, difficult to further enrich or enhance. A shift to breaks not only didn’t spoil the tune but also gave a chance to spot previously unnoticed aspects. The second version is much calmer, despite the even more impressive variety of sounds. ‘Breaks Mix’ seems to be somewhat sober, not to say muted. Keyboard touches and extra samples glamorize already perfectly matching elements of the song, which ends in a similar way to its beginning. It’s difficult not to evaluate the first release that came to light thanks to Hearing Aid as remarkably successful. The future of the label - as well as the upcoming productions by Graeme, who did show his genuinely high level - looks truly promising. Zabiela and Sidoli manifested their lofty aspirations and Hearing Aid became a label which upcoming releases will be anticipated long before the premiere. An excellent start!  Comments[0]
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Review: Brass Monkey - Big Ride
