Artist: Amber
Title: Anyway (Steve Porter Remixes)
Label: Bedrock Records
By: Simon Jones | 16 July 2003
Tracklist:

• A: Steve Porter Mix 1
• B: Steve Porter Mix 2

Amber "Anyway (Steve Porter Remixes)"

Amber is a successful dance act in the US, with an album called 'Naked' spawning singles including the trans atlantic hit 'Sexual' and this track 'Anyway', which was originally released in 2002 on Tommy Boy. Back then it was That Kid Chris and King Britt who got their chance to reinterpret the track, and these Steve Porter remixes were presumed destined to sit on a dat forever. Step forward Bedrock to save the day..

On the a-side 'Mix One' sees Steve weave a sublime downtempo groove that evolves, subtle key changes effecting the groove, as soft drum loops and a sweet melody add an extra dimension to the mix as it unfolds. Building upwards, vocal snippets shimmer through the gaps in the beats, as the melody compliments the hypnotic groove almost like ying and yang. Dropping smoothy into a breakbeat-esque beat solo, the full vocal then floats over the top, emphasised by the rippling melody that sits underneath it. Melodic stabs lift things even further as the breaks fuse into electronic synths which lead the mix all the way to the finale where everything gels together as one before fading to grey...

'Mix Two' sees Steve build on the foundations he created with the first mix and take them in a more upbeat, dancefloor friendly direction, slipping in a driving bassline, and introducing the vocal right from the start. However it's what he does with these that makes the difference, and by looping snippets of the vocal, and twisting the beats through a series of awesome drops, he creates a peak time revision that will get the dancefloor swaying in no time, and proving why many hail Steve Porter as a master of his craft.

An interesting sidestep for Bedrock, pulling in an original track that attained reasonable commercial success overseas, and showcasing just how Steve Porter took them to a slightly more underground audience. Needless to say, Bedrock should be commended for giving us chance to hear two great mixes that were deemed unsuitable for commercial release, but are both deserving of a place in your record box.