Artist: Lewie Day
Title: Captain Haddock's Phrasebook EP
Label: EQ Grey
By: Andrew Bilen | 16 March 2008
Tracklist:

• 1. The Blistering Barnacle
• 2. The Thousandth Typhoon

Lewie Day "Captain Haddock's Phrasebook EP"

EQ Grey kicks off 2008 with a new look, a new logo and a release from Melbourne native Lewie Day, a relative newcomer to the scene. Having found success with his track 'Striptease' on a 2006 Audio Therapy compilation, Day lends his talents to another highly respected label amongst the progressive set.

On 'The Blistering Barnacle' Lewie Day lays down beautiful, lush progressive house melodies that would fit equally well to a trippy night on the dance floor or a dream sequence in a film. It's the kind of sound you can really just get lost in, with the power to both relax and move you at the same time. The main melody seems to effortlessly float and echo across channels, lending a surreal and hypnotic vibe to the entire track. Laced in between is a light, airy vocal sample that is used sparingly and manages to strike the perfect balance in complementing the track without drawing focus away from other elements. The percussion work on this track is also impressive, bringing to light Day's attention to detail where others may have typically overlooked.

'The Blistering Barnacle' is perfect for what it is, which in my eyes is a mid-tempo piece of progressive house that is elegant and serene. There is just an incredible air of mystery about this track that really draws me in.

On the accompanying track 'The Thousandth Typhoon' Day brings a more traditional dance track to the release. Still drawing on the highly progressive synth stylings of its counterpart, the track's bass kicks harder, its melodies edgier and breakdown more dramatic. Contributing to that are a pair of crisp vocal samples, one a very beat-box style pick and the other a more edgy female tune akin to the previous track. The end result is a beautifully flowing track that creates an atmosphere as if it were telling a story, which was a factor I kept in consideration because of the origins of the track title. 'The Thousandth Typhoon' is what you might expect if you took 'The Blistering Barnacle' and increased the energy three-fold for a much more energetic, momentum building dance floor tune with a killer kick-drum and main synth.

This is a great first release for EQ Grey in 2008 that will set the bar high for their upcoming material. EQ Grey, the sub-label of the home to the esteemed Balance series, comes from quite a pedigree of Australian decent. But I think it is fair to say that just like the 'Balance' name, the EQ Grey logo is a stamp of quality. And with that being said, keep an eye out for the next release on EQ Grey by AMB featuring a killer track titled 'Minifunk.'

Related Websites
myspace.com/eqgrey
myspace.com/lewieday