Artist: Swain & Paris
Title: Tyke's Groove
Label: Audio Therapy
By: Antonella Sirec | 24 August 2006
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Paul Jackson Mix

Swain & Paris "Tyke's Groove"

A genre of dance music that doesn't appear to have a used by date is unquestionably the electro house sound. Whether you love it or hate it, it's a sound that keeps popping up periodically in recent years. As to whether it's a successful interpretation of a sound that stretches some twenty odd years is purely dependant on the producers' at hand. Released through Audio Therapy, 'Tyke's Groove' by stalwarts Swain & Paris, is a successful interpretation in its original format but not so much as a remix.

The original mix of 'Tyke's Groove' opens promisingly with an echoing beat that steadily introduces a nicely melodic bass that is more then happily infused with an electro sound. With hints of effects and sampled bleeps, the beat becomes more upbeat and maintains that feel until the end. The small synth breakdown adds a certain dramatic feel to the track and as a result is very enjoyable to the ear. Driven by that bass, the tune has an easy feel to it that adds to its infectious quality. This is not going to break any new ground musically as the electro house sound has been done many times over but its execution is simple and effective thereby successful and will please a lot of listeners. If anything, I was reminded of the music I used to listen to in the early '80s, back when electro was a fresh new sound and not a badly interpreted concoction of its former self. Kudos to Swain & Paris for helping me revisit my youth even if it was for a few minutes.

The Paul Jackson remix, on the other hand, is something that’s left me slightly stunned but for all the wrong reasons! The very thing that makes 'Tyke's Groove' so appealing is that electro tinged bass that drives the melody. Simply put, it's catchy as hell and quite distinguishable. On this particular remix, that bass has been distorted to the point that it just sounds like fuzz. The very elements that made the track sound so warm and appealing have been stripped back and the end result, from my perspective, is quite lifeless. It's not that this is a completely terrible remix because it's not and I'm sure it will find a place in many electro DJ sets but I just found the end result to be empty in feel and generally in sound. My irritation with this remix lies in the fact that I believe it's trying to be a fusion of the electro and minimal sounds and as such, it doesn't deliver on both counts.

Listening to this release was somewhat like musical duplicity. On the one hand, the original mix of 'Tyke's Groove', with its infectious bass and melody, was a pleasure to listen to but then on the other hand, the Paul Jackson remix was a bitter disappointment but that's just one person's opinion. Overall, while I clearly favour the original immensely, I have no doubt that the Paul Jackson remix will appeal to fans of his work, but personally for me it detracts from what could have been another excellent release for Audio Therapy.