Artist: Blackwatch Presents Professor Okku
Title: Word Unspoken
Label: Shinichi Recordings
By: Simon Jones | 31 August 2003
Tracklist:

• A: Jas Mix
• B: Luke Chable Mix
• C: Jim Duvall Mix
• D: Original Mix

Blackwatch Presents Professor Okku "Word Unspoken"

It's been some time since 'Word Unspoken' first raised it's head, featuring on Deep Dish's inaugural mix for Global Underground, Moscow. It's been so long in fact, that Deep Dish have since released another Global Underground album, such is the delay of this track. Heaven knows what took so long, but finally this track from Blackwatch makes it's way on to the shelves. The question is.. does it still cut the mustard?

Blackwatch's friend 'Jas' offers the first interpretation, and he opts for a deep and driving rework that bases itself around tough synths and beats, with effects and vocals dropped in roughly at various points throughout. Whilst the arrangement is tight, this mix just seems thrown together with some of Blackwatch's samples with no real direction other than full on, straight ahead, and as such is a mix you'll either love or hate.

However, leave it to the likes of 'Luke Chable' to do a mix, and you will be surprised as you never quite know what he's going to come up with . Here he strips things right down and places a forward thinking beat pattern right in the heart of the mix. On top of this come gorgeous melodic breakbeats, and when the low droning bass is introduced, well.. you will be blown away. The melody then shifts from the background to the foreground as we hit the break, and the track switches into a broken beat section where Luke makes good use of loops and feedback effects to create a forward thinking outro that ends this innovative mix just perfect.

'Jim Duvall' therefore has his work cut out for him, but even a dark 3am techy interpretation is no match for Luke's supreme mix. Good atmospheric depth and dark pulsating rhythms will work well in a late night set, but other than that this mix has limited appeal and when you put it alongside the mix by Jas and the original, it doesn't really add that much..

Finishing up is is Blackwatch with his own 'Original Mix', and this is evident by the beats that grind into the mix in trademark Blackwatch style. A warbling vocal rises out of the depths created by the intricate percussion in place here, and the melodies hold everything together in tight fashion, at the same time creating some nice 'space' in which Michael Thomas does his thing. Throw in some hypnotic hooks, stereo panning and a few other subtle tricks, and this track breaks it's shackles and kicks ass even now, showing some of the others on this package how things are done, South Bronx style..

The question still remains why this took so long to be released, but in some ways the Luke Chable mix makes sure that the wait is made up for, but this track probably would fare better having been released before now. Nevertheless, a fine outing for Mr Thomas, but his production skills have moved along so much since this...