Artist: Elastic Audio
Title: Schizophrenic
Label: Vinyl Vice
By: Nick Williams | 1 March 2006
Tracklist:

• A: Remix
• B: Original Mix

Elastic Audio "Schizophrenic"

For Vinyl Vice's 7th release, we are taken for a tour of the infirmary with Elastic Audio's 'Schizophrenic'. For those not familiar with the moniker, you will be pleasantly surprised that two near legends in the progressive house scene are behind Elastic Audio. Mick Parks, part of the duo Parks & Wilson, Tilt, Odessi, and Killahurtz joins Kenny Shifter, of Innashift and Rekelektrik fame, for some musical insight into the mind of a schizophrenic.

The A side shows us the remix first, and I am hit hard immediately with sharp beats offset by the beeping of a heart monitor. A thickly reverbed dub inspired pad introduces the hook, which is a series of bells and a squelchy synth line that could only have been written by a schizo. A growling bouncy electro-inspired bassline leads us further while the schizo’s line slowly comes fades back in. We delve a bit deeper with airy pads, and just as we get comfortable there, we go back into the eerie with new synths and our squelchy hook. Just like the disease schizophrenia, the personality of this song changes quite a few times, making it difficult for it to settle into any sort of groove, yet the sounds are presented are very accessible for all on the dancefloor.

The original take brings more depth and a hypnotic nature to the equation. A distant cowbell and broken beats introduce a brooding bassline that chugs along like the Union Pacific railway. Small vocal snippets add some funk as elements are layered one by one on top of each other until the breakdown where electro stabs and peculiar sweeping synths bring a new feel to the track, much in line with the remix. A sort of nostalgia hits me here after the breakdown as I could definitely see Sasha & Digweed playing this circa 1998 with the type of arpeggiated synth lines that come in. This mix reminds me much more of the history of tunes that these two have brought to progressive house in the past.

If you are looking for some tunes that cover a breadth of styles, definitely search this release out, as both of these tracks accomplish that in a very short amount of time, and would make a great addition to your arsenal. My only warning is that the sounds hark back to an earlier time, instead of experimenting with new and unique sounds. That is what these two producers did in the past to create such gems as 'Invisible', so I would want them to apply themselves the same way today and in the future.