Artist: Hiratzka & Kazell
Title: In Your Eyes
Label: Alternative Route
By: Nick Bower | 29 July 2004
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Monkz Mix

Hiratzka & Kazell "In Your Eyes"

Back again after their last release on Alternative Route, 'Reaction', hot US production duo Mike Hiratzka and Kevin Bazell (aka Kazell) make a welcome return with the atmospheric 'In Your Eyes'. The track has transformed since its conception, as those of you well and truly in the know, may have heard 'In Your Eyes' originally featuring a Sinead O'Connor vocal snippet. Unfortunately though, things don’t always go completely to plan and the boys couldn't obtain clearance for use of this sample from the Irish songstresses label. Thankfully, on a more positive side, 'In Your Eyes' now comes with a sweet new female vocal, which even manages to outshine the exceptional original.

Right from the off the track builds in an extremely simple and fluent way. Its such a smooth, inviting and almost calming excursion too – no bumps, potholes or nasty surprises on this musical trip. Snares, cymbal crashes and a strutting kick drum make a bed for delayed drum rolls and wonderfully reverberating percussion. Fragments of the aforementioned female vocal bounce in and out of the mix as a warm bassline riff, which carries throughout the entirety of the track, sparks into life. Hiratzka and Kazell gradually tease us with more of the vocal, eventually letting loose the softly sung line "My Heart…Is In Your Eyes". Similarly, an exquisite female vocal harmony just floats along with the rest of the track in a very ambient fashion, giving a chilled but still dancefloor-friendly vibe.

The Hungarian collective 'Monkz', themselves having just released a track on Alternative Route earlier in the year, are ably on hand to give their own interpretation of 'In Your Eyes'. They make a good job of it too, preserving the magnificent warmth, depth and atmospherics of the Original Mix, but adding a subtle techy twist to the proceedings. Dispensing with some of the vocal and pushing the remainder further to the rear of the mix, it's more of the music, rather than the vocal, which drives the Monkz mix.

Overall, both mixes serve to show that 'In Your Eyes' is a track which manages to be deep and powerful, whilst equally retaining a sense of passion and soulfulness at the same time. Quite a tall order to achieve, but Hiratzka and Kazell show how it can be done so well.

Things are unquestionably warming up for Alternative Route more now than ever before. There's mounting interest in the label from within the industry and public, plus its own roster of talent is progressing at a healthy rate. At a time when we're told popularity in dance culture is supposedly dwindling, with numerous record labels, clubs and artists falling by the wayside, Alternative Route are without doubt bucking the trend and continually strengthening thanks to their competitor's failures. Certainly a refreshing and re-assuring sign for the future.