Artist: Oscar G
Title: Space (Remixes)
Label: Future Groove
By: Michael Schreiber | 21 January 2003
Tracklist:

• A: Chus And Ceballos Iberican Mix
• B: Tony Thomas Mix

Oscar G "Space (Remixes)"

The Future Groove label unleashes some hard-hitting grooves, each being a unique interpretation of a track entitled, “Space” that is the creation of one of the most notable purveyors of the tribal sound in the Southeast for many years, Oscar G. The track’s title also refers to the Miami club where Oscar G. holds his weekly residency, working the turntables for over 12 hours on a very frequent basis, which ultimately has gained him worldwide notoriety for his proficiency to do so. Space also has become a hot spot due to monthly visits by numerous well-recognized global djs, including Danny Tenaglia, Deep Dish, Superchumbo, John Digweed and Carl Cox.

As side note “news flash,” is Space’s recent decision to move the club a half-block away to become bigger and better. The outside terrace has been transitioned to a larger area on the roof, the sound system is upgraded, the dancefloor is much larger with higher ceilings and two stories and boasts one of the biggest DJ booths in the US. All of this just in time for the upcoming Winter Music Conference, with Danny Tenaglia returning there for his yearly marathon dj session on the first day of the conference, Tuesday, March 18th. He is scheduled for 2am until ? (most likely 5pm or later Wednesday, if you want to make a prediction based upon the last two-year’s parties concluding hours).

But let’s get back to what we’re really here to talk about… “Space” that is the track. No two mixes sound the same, although you could group the “Downtown Miami Mix” and the “Chus & Ceballos Iberican Remix” into the tribal category and Low End Specialist’s and Tony Thomas’ into the techno category. I really got to hand it to the Future Groove label for making such a diverse package of mixes, for you don’t see this range of sounds on one release much these days.

Chus & Ceballos Iberican Remix
Out of the four mixes, this is the standout with the most energy! Tribal beats comprised of metallic driven sounds with each two-beat segment having an underlying three part tin-like tapping sound. Each echoed vocal snippet of “space” and “You are now entered Space” are emphasized by a climax of multiple crashing cymbals accentuated with a digital sound that rushes by. A high-pitch whistle sound whirling upward in key melds into the track to add to the “sci-fi” funky sound this track gives off. At 2:45 the beat drops off for a solo drumming metal drum segment combined with a female chorus chanting “yeah” then “hey yeah” which fade out in an echo. At 4:23, warm tones of a three-chord keyboard progression come in before another solo drumming breakdown at 5:00. At 5:30 it breaks down completely to a rain-like sound, soft sounds of birds chirping, and chords fading in to bring back the tribal drums to complete the remainder of the track. As with the first segment, it is all complimented with the whistle sounds, strongly accentuated vocal snippets and female chants. The energy of this track is all due to the tribal beats and how each 16-beat segment concludes with the multiple “splashes” of sound. This remix really does feel like it is “washing over” you as you’re immersed in all the layers of sounds.

Tony Thomas Remix
Tony Thomas goes for the techno sound with beats focused more so on the very pronounced 4/4 standard combined with a 4 part loop of three subtle cymbal-like sounds going upward in key and the fourth repeating the first note. There’s also a distinct clicking pattern sampled over them too. But, there is really no notable transitions in this composition, except for a middle breakdown removal of the drum beats to just an echoed vocal and swirling samples which sound like big rushes of air/wind coming in and then disappearing before the beats return. He likes to keep echoes of the vocal, the air sounds and a two-chord minor key sample, all swirling about in the background and seeming to not disappear in any defined way. It’s hard to hear when one ends and then the next echo begins with all the overlays happening. This does give more depth and layers to the remix and more trance-like. A good warm-up track to start before progressing into more energized ones.