Artist: Various Artists
Title: Secret Planet 001
Label: Secret Planet
By: Simon Jones | 27 May 2004
Tracklist:

• X: Narcose & Orchid - Descrescent
• Y: Andres & Xavier - Tomorrow

"Secret Planet 001"

As technology advances, so does it's accessibility to the average person on the street. In the world of music, more people than ever before now have the ability with a standard PC setup to be able to create music, meaning the growth of bedroom produces has skyrocketed in the past few years - hell even in darkest Peru, Paddington Bear is secretly developing his own brand of house music. Secret Planet is a new label that focuses on these people. Unknown names in sometimes unknown places, each of whom could be a star of tomorrow. Indeed you never do know. Time will tell, but in the meantime, this inaugural release sees us stay close to home roots in England, before crossing the globe to Mexico, as the first set of producers land on the Secret Planet

On Side X, the duo of Graham Roberts & Alex Tooth make their debut as Narcose & Orchid with the track 'Descrescent'. With Orchid's recent breakthrough as a producer with singles appearing on many of the scene's key labels such as Hope Recordings and Gravitation Records, this track didn't stay secret for long. as it's smooth atmospheric beats and deep melodies have the Orchid trademark all over them. From the broken intro things soon shift into a bass filled groove which carries the track along, topped off by subtle effects that fill the void nicely, and adding the final touch to a well produced and cohesive mood builder that will fit well almost anywhere in a set should you choose to use it.

Side Y features 'Tomorrow' by the mysterious Mexicans Andres & Xavier. A solid bassline and chunky beats forms the nucleus of this driving progressive tinged cut, with some heavy key progression working through the centre, creating a nice floating vibe within the groove and building to a crescendo of melodies that roll out over the top. The break sounds big, but the rest of the elements don't quite follow on from the peak. Nevertheless it's a decent little track that will find some use at least.

As the first sampler of tracks to be taken from the Secret Planet compilation, 'Descrescent' is an early contender for being the standout on the album, but as for the rest that the album contains, you'll just have to watch out for volumes 002 and 003 and find out for yourself.