Artist: Killahurtz Feat Maria Nayler
Title: 21st Century Lover
Label: Primal Records
By: Antonella Sirec | 7 September 2006
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Instrumental Mix

Killahurtz Feat Maria Nayler "21st Century Lover"

There are many production teams whose work I look forward to when they’re finally released but none more so then that of the work created by Killahurtz. Responsible for one of the most seminal progressive tunes to be released that being 'West On 27th', last year's release of 'Kiss For The Dying', which was warmly received by DJs and dance music fans alike, was a personal favourite of mine. Whilst this latest release of '21st Century Lover' will keep Killahurtz fans satisfied, it does unfortunately fall short of the quality that prevailed their previous.

The original mix of '21st Century Lover' opens in a wash of guitar-laden riffs giving the track an instant summery feel. This is only further established when the padded beats come in shortly and the melodic chords that soon overlay the track giving it a very upbeat sound in general. The tune dips and peaks at varying intervals but with the melody being so infectious, it stays on this end during its duration. Throughout there are gradual changes in key which allow it to build at a minute level but it never really climaxes at any point irrespective of the slight breakdown. As a means of added effects, Maria Nayler's slightly vocodered vocals are intertwined with the main melody and never used in an overpowering manner. This only adds a certain ethereal quality to the overall sound of '21st Century Lover'. On first listening to this version, I was instantly struck by its Balearic qualities, which is something I haven't noticed in releases of late. With a Southern summer just around the corner, I'm sure this will be a mainstay for a lot of outdoor events soon enough.

The instrumental mix featured on this release takes the original and manifests it into a slightly deeper version. Opening with a padded beat and the gradual use of synths, the bass comes in and this time round is given more prominence. This combined with the sublime use of the main melody contributes to the track's overall deeper qualities. While the vocals in its predecessor were used throughout as an enhancement to the melody, this time round they’ve been abandoned and replaced with what sounds like operatic styled vocals. However, this particular vocal effect is only used sporadically as a more purposeful effect. As with the original, this too dips and peaks very slightly with the breakdown being the only real descend in the track. Of the two versions in this release, this particular remix is my favourite and has a more progressive house feel to it then that of the original version. More specifically, while still upbeat in sound, the remix has a certain maturity in feel that I find much more appealing.

From an overall perspective, '21st Century Lover' is extremely pleasing to the ear but it is a sound that has been done before and won't set the world of dance music on fire. Even though the production is executed professionally which was expected, I can't help but think that this was all too easy for Killahurtz. Having been responsible for the likes of 'West On 27th' and last year's 'Kiss For the Dying', I was expecting something more interesting from this production team. Nevertheless, '21st Century Lover' is an enjoyable piece of music, if not slightly disappointing.