Artist: Nosmo Vs Kris B
Title: One For The Road 2008
Label: Flow Vinyl
By: Jason Calvert | 2 October 2008
Tracklist:

• 1. 2008 Deep Mix
• 2. Tiger Stripes Mix
• 3. Tiger Stripes Dub
• 4. Fiord Mix
• 5. Ben Brown Mix

Nosmo Vs Kris B "One For The Road 2008"

Grayarea's "One For The Road" made a big impression on the scene with its release back in 2002. I still remember the day I got my hands on a copy and just how impressed I was with the production quality and overall direction of the track. We were also graced with Grayarea's 'Designated Mix', which was an earth-shattering breakbeat mix and then in 2003, with the release of "Yewminyst" we were also treated to a driving remix by Gabriel & Dresden. Each mix was thoughtful, intelligent and ultimately unique, and the whole package is one which will not be forgotten easily. So naturally I was a bit hesitant upon hearing of the new set of mixes to be released. Could they do this beauty justice or should it have just been left alone?

The 2008 Deep Mix strips the track back to its bare elements. The pace is very laid back and the sultry vocal sample fits in well with this theme. The percussion is fairly run of the mill and after some time the track still doesn't really pick up. It certainly is deep as the name suggests however it lacks any clear focus or direction and the end result is something quite generic sounding.

Mikael Nordgren AKA Tiger Stripes has been a hot name on the scene for a number of years now. His music tends to have a seductive vibe to it, which I find very appealing however this sound didn't quite transfer across to "One For The Road". A sparse selection of elements from the original are utilised and he focuses more on building up his own elements. This isn't a particularly bad thing but as with the previous mix, there simply wasn't enough direction to do justice to the track. The remix and dub only differ on minor terms and whilst they could maybe serve as a nice warm up, they do not stand up by themselves when viewed as mixes of "One For The Road".

The Fiord Remix borders on minimal with its approach and once again very few elements of the original are utilised, perhaps even less than the Tiger Stripes mixes. It builds up quite a strong groove and as the percussion builds up and the melody drops, the whole track gets quite an eerie feel to it. This is easily the strongest mix of the bunch but still not outstanding by any means.

The final mix comes from Ben Brown. Taking things in an entirely different direction, Brown attempts to throw the track towards the dance floor. The mix has a nice breakdown but the bassline felt slightly contrived and almost forced upon the track. The ideas are all there but the sum does not quite equal the parts and we are left with another unremarkable mix.

I'm not quite sure how these mixes were all chosen for the one release. I expected a lot more from the Tiger Stripes mixes and whilst the Fiord Remix has some nice touches to it, I couldn't help but feel disappointed with the release as a whole. For such a grand track, which already had two superb mixes, a 2008 re-release would have required something quite phenomenal to stand up. Sadly we don't find this here. Sometimes tracks like this are best left alone. Fans of Grayarea may find themselves disappointed with this one but keep your eyes peeled, as there is talk of a new album coming. Something to look forward to!