Artist: 3745
Title: Cuban/Throb
Label: Dorigen Music
By: Matthew Esler  | 24 May 2002
Tracklist:

• A: Cuban
• B: Throb

3745 "Cuban/Throb"

"Cuban" opens with a bang... but only a small one, maybe included to make you listen harder to the first couple of layers - a spooky combination of a few bongo beats and a slightly exciting buzz in the background. A feeling of anticipation is created by a soft deep synth, accompanied by a clap on every second "beat" (no real beats just yet). The synth sounds old, but is used very well, and it hints towards something big about to happen.

When the extremely bouncy bass comes in, it is very hard not to smile and have a boogy. The clap sound has been very well crafted - sharp but not harsh, and adds a nice subtle degree of funk to the track. The background buzz has been building slowly up to this point and comes to the fore very slightly adding to the tracks bounciness, funkiness and darkness. "Cuban" is a track that should be used to build up a dancefloor - ie: thoroughly fill it.

Just as we get used to the beautiful bass, the vocal hook enters the fray, and this is one we will all have heard to some extent:

"Welcome... I'm gonna take you... welcome... on a tour".

This vocal is used in a different enough way and sparingly enough such as to not make us bored even if we've heard it a million times. A syncopated maraca type sound comes with the vocals and even though we are only two minutes into the track, it is now a full groovy mixture.

The vocal gets louder and a middle pitched whining sound builds in its insistence, creating a mini buildup, that abruptly stops with the vocal. The track gets busier after this, with a mixture of sweeping buzzing and whining sounds that play with each other and keep the track very interesting all the way.

These eerie noises die away to bring our attention to two different bongo beats, each occurring on every fourth beat, syncopated with each other, with one on the left and one on the right. At first these seem to be a bit loud, but they seem to somehow mesh with the rest of the track, and on a large system they will work like a charm to mess with people just a little.

A synth comes in, initially flanged, to introduce a mini-breakdown, after which "Cuban" subtly morphs into a very spooky and full breakdown with a deep synth and the odd muted bongo. This deep synth continues and is joined by a distorted drum.

There is a lot happening in "Cuban" which seems to build and morph constantly throughout the track... layers seem to arrive just when they are needed and then add to the background while slowly shifting out of the track.

"Throb" is a very aptly named track. There is no gentle entry here, the first beat being a throbbing bass heavy combination of sounds. We have a heavy, very low, bass beat, matched beat for beat with a metal industrial sounding beat and an offbeat "sh" to lighten things up a bit. The beat soon gets even heavier and we are assaulted with several odd noises slowly appearing with more and more regularity.

The bass spreads out into more of a throbbing bassline rather than a beat as "Throb" attempts to frighten the listener into submission. We lose most of the top end, left with just a dull throbbing and then there is a very deep and spooky breakdown. The breakdown again makes use of odd noises, which gives the track a slightly kooky feel. A heartbeat and watery cave like sounds fill us with dread until the quick no-nonsense build-up sends us running off into the beat again.

Every bar or two some small thing changes to keep us always interested in "Throb", like the mini-breakdown and the crazy short build-up that is used for a few mini-breakdowns. The bass remains very heavy and dark and squelchy. More scary filtered sounds rush in and out, left and right. "Throb" makes great use of stereo to create an atmosphere of fear here. This is definitely not a light hearted track.

"Throb" is like a chase, a scared and sketchy piece of work that moves from scene to scene as the chase progresses. If you want to make people scared, while still having them dance around like dead puppets, then this is the track for you.

This record is a must buy. "Cuban" is a veritable dance floor filling stormer, and "Throb" is that record you can put on really loud at 5am when everyone needs a good scare before you start to calm them down a bit.