Artist: Grayarea Feat Erik Shepard
Title: Gravity (Remixes)
Label: Hope Recordings
By: Simon Jones | 27 July 2004
Tracklist:

• A: Grayarea Albatross Mix
• B: Hybrid Love From.. Mix

Grayarea Feat Erik Shepard "Gravity (Remixes)"

Released earlier this year in it's original form, Grayarea's 'Gravity' seen a departure from the sound of their two previous singles 'One For The Road' and 'Yewminyst', taking the full vocal route with assistance from Chicago band Life At Sea's vocalist Erik Shepard. The limited edition vinyl was met with mixed reaction with some not happy with the new direction whilst others embraced it, but not wanting to shun their longstanding fans, this remix 12" of club mixes should more than address the balance.

The 'Albatross Mix' sees Grayarea revisit Gravity and rework it with the dancefloor in mind. If the original was a bit too laid back for you, then this remix should be more to your liking as the dark beats and dirty bassline come into play, taking Erik Shepard's vocal higher, underpinned by pulsating riffs that punch their way through the busy soundscape. Sliding over the top of the beats, the mood builds crescendo style to an awesome analogue style breakdown where the bass drops to reveal melody lines and immense percussive layers. that ease the momentum, the layers compacting to a outro that is riddled with loads of subtle twists and turns and a series of drops that really hammer this mix into the home straight, Chi-town style.

Hybrid take a more underground approach to the track, turning in a grand breakbeat mix complete with strings, dark breaks, dirty basslines and the big floating soundscapes that have featured in their more recent tracks and remixes, particularly on their album 'Morning Sci Fi'. The arrangements are incredibly tight, a downtempo intro soon fading into a rugged groove, piston style beats drilling down into the floor of the soundscape as string elements and melodies are used to build some emotion within the mix. As the intensity builds, a big guitar solo is brought in, adding a totally different dimension that creates a satisfying peak to this mix, which fuses trademark Hybrid sounds old and new together, and whilst not their best ever, is indeed their best remix in some time.

Two stellar club mixes that fans of both artists will love. There's nothing more to say - get down the stores and pick up a copy as soon as possible, unless you can defy Gravity.