Artist: Phatjak
Title: Dirty Monday
Label: Extrema Records
By: Chloe Harris | 5 October 2006
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Bart Van Wissen Mix

Phatjak "Dirty Monday"

The end of the summer brings an onslaught of fresh new sounds as producers step in with darker dirtier music, and Phatjak is leading the way. Angel Stoxx and Evan Kay have been going strong for the last couple of years, gaining recognition for their brilliant electro tinged progressive productions, as well as their DJ sets in Greece and beyond. Their first release for Dutch wonder-label Extrema, is a filthy uptempo tune with a massive lead that fills your brain for days while the flip features a classy remix by Bart Van Wissen.

'Dirty Monday' is a fantastic tune built for the floor. Pumping beats and claps step in right away, while a trippy swoosh welcomes the biggest bass you've heard in months. The warm bass rides up and down keys progressing into a brilliant rolling bassline that makes way for a compelling lead. Coming in right after a quick stop, the lead synth captures the whole mood; it's swanky but dirty, and travels through the beats quickly. Tiny drops of electro beeps fall into the beats creating a lovely harmony that fades off as the beats drop off into a break. Twisted muffled effects layer on top of the lead, allowing a peak to happen before assaulting us once again with the beats.

Bart Van Wissen makes an appearance with a doozy of a remix. Known for his deeper progressive sounds, 'Dirty Monday' has a completely different feel. The electro beeps and a cool break beat start in building slowly making way for the big swoosh that drops in a fuzzy but funky bassline. A brilliant groove sets in, with the bottom end winding up and down those keys while the lead takes off and demands attention. A fantastic glide of sound works together, but falls into a short break that drops it all, only keeping the buzzy bass and a strong kick. The lead starts back in, while the bass builds into a massive peak and grooves all the way out. This remix will get stuck in your head, and seems to fit in perfectly as the last track of the night.

Phatjak are on a roll. Their amazing basslines and powerful hooky melodies seem to come naturally for them, and 'Dirty Monday' is a perfect example of this. I urge you to find this record and play it out asap. It will work wonders on the floor. Upcoming projects include a remixes for Darrius Syrrosian & Tracker 5 on new Greek label Sector 4, in addition to collaborations ventures with Stel as Tannen on Hope Recordings and Baroque Records. Phatjak will also be launching their own label Mokilok Recordings in the near future, and if that's going to be as great as this record, it will be something worth watching out for.