Artist: Starecase
Title: Vapour Trails
Label: Hope Recordings
By: Colin C. | 6 March 2006
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Matt Rowan & Jaytech Mix

Starecase "Vapour Trails"

It's been nearly four years since we last heard from Paul Crossman and Al Watson as Starecase, but now they are finally back with two new tracks poised for release on Hope Recordings. The sound of Starecase was a breath of fresh air in the earlier years of this decade, with Paul's break beat wizardry (aka General Midi) fitting well with Al's skills, they never took their focus away from the dance floor. After countless remixes and dynamic originals like 'Lost 22' and 'Hopeless' these guys quickly became one of Hope's shining stars. With their debut album 'First Floor', we saw them branch into some more armchair friendly material, but now they are back, and bringing it straight to the clubs with their comeback single 'Vapour Trails'.

The 'Original Mix' takes us back into the Starecase sound, almost if they never left. Tight and clean percussion build on top of some swirling pads before dropping us into a groovy bassline. It is here that anyone who's heard a Starecase song before will find themselves reminiscing on their past releases. Vapour Trails leads us on a warm, melodic journey that moves pleasantly along, carried by a simple uplifting synth lead. With the focus really more on the groove than establishing huge breakdowns or intense lead arrangements, this isn't quite banger of a comeback that you might expect.

On the flip 'Matt Rowan & Jaytech' really capitalize on the groovy foundation of the track with their remix. They bring the track into a more current progressive style by adding some more percussive elements, which help swing the groove a little more. With a stabby bass line, the track percolates around some clever filtering of the original elements and quick edits that move the track along nicely. Definitely a crunchier mix than the original, I can see this doing well with a nice range of different DJs.

This release follows nicely with the direction that Hope Recordings is currently headed, and will sure help both Matt and James' stock rise a few more points. However I wouldn't be surprised if some Starecase fans (like myself) feel like they’ve been left wanting more with this track. Never the less, the track is (as always) quality and helps keep the Starecase manifesto going strong.