Artist: Micah
Title: Mnemosyne
Label: Aurium Recordings
By: Colin C. | 27 December 2006
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Pig & Dan Mix

Micah "Mnemosyne"

Entering into only his fourth year of releases, Micah Lukasewich has managed to turn many heads with his work for Fade, Method and Silver Planet imprint Secret Planet. His ability to elevate a four on the floor groove into a blissful sound-scape has kept his work pulsing along and picking up accolades on the way. To round out 2006, Aurium Recordings calls upon this talented producer who comes correct with a great piece that fits nicely into the Aurium catalog.

It's actually surprising to think this is Micah's debut with Greg Benz's Aurium label as they both have and affinity for the melodic side of things and the original mix is just that. Starting off in a syncopated fashion, the original mix hammers right in with a strong rhythm section supported by a quick synth motif and quickly segues into the rolling bass line and monstrous pads we expect to hear in a Micah record. The uplifting melody leaves no one behind as he brings the vibe down to the kick and then into a quick drop out before we are off and flying again. This is track is in a similar fashion to Benz and MD's work, ('Still Rain' springs to mind) and easy to see why Greg wanted to release this. Epic is an understatement when it comes to experiencing this track’s boundless energy, Even though borders along the lines of what some might consider Trance, that didn't stop me from thoroughly enjoying it. I definitely had fun cranking this one up.

Coming in for the remix is yet another production group that has had a good year, Pig & Dan. If you are a fan of their Submission and Tecmission labels, you have nothing to fear on this remix. As always clean predominant drum patterns emerge slowly out of this mix, as a sterile but intriguing audio environment is crafted around a heavy dose of the original's bass line. The duo also manages to twist up the original's synth motifs into their crisp minimal production. I am especially fond of the use of energy dropping in here and there but yet effectively moving the track between the techy vibe and the original's melodic nature. This is almost the perfect antidote to the original, while still retaining the core elements Micah was trying to get across.

I've got to hand it to Aurium for putting a nice package together, both mixes show the producers involved at the top of their game. I personally would have loved to hear a breaks mix included in this release, just to juxtapose the four on the floor versions, but this is a mild complaint. Overall, fans of all involved should not be disappointed.