Artist: White Maison
Title: Night Driving
Label: Love Triangle Music
By: Carleton Neil | 14 May 2009
Tracklist:

• A1: Original Mix
• B1: Williams Main Mix
• B2: Williams Reprise Theme

White Maison "Night Driving"

Inspiration can spring from anywhere, but often times what's entirely more unpredictable are the following results. Case in point: White Maison's 'Night Driving', where a combination of a background in the scores to John Carpenter flicks mixed with the flair of Donna Summer can combine as a fifteen minute opus. Only in Berlin naturally, and only on Love Triangle Music, which must also take its cues from its brother in Bermuda to achieve such a unique combination of sounds.

The original mix of 'Night Driving' can be broken down into roughly four or five parts. A triage of cheeky Miami synths and Far-East fills that finally mesh as a sort of tribal tromp, the track begins with someone making their way to their vehicle, starting the engine and taking off. A warm-up of smooth ambiance of slow arpeggios from melodic synths, 'Night Driving' is heavily but beautifully layered, featured excellent transitions and introductions of sounds, whether the track is moving from melodics on chimes and wooded instruments or into the next section of the track, fitting in a metallic tapping kick and thunderous timpani on the low end. Syncopated fills bubble through the track just before the breakdown, and as the track returns it is fully cemented by its snares, a lonely 80s hair guitar croons out across the soundscape. Naturally just as the track seems to have found itself, it takes off in another direction on fills from an old drum machine and jangled guitars out of a house track. Still more layers are woven in, from samples of crickets to variations on some of the original melodics, slap-bass guitar and the brief arrival of tumbling tribal drums. Hang on, you're almost home.A second breakdown of guitar introduces strings with the familiar Far-East style, contrasted against fast-claps at the end of the musical phrases, and the track finally closes on the slow arpeggios of the track's beginning.

William Threlfall is one half of the founders of Love Triangle Music, and best known for his keyboard work on Mylo's 'Destroy Rock & Roll'. His style picks up and pronounces the retro side of the original mix, starting with the familiar crooning guitar and an intro of shaker fills. Flute synths coo quietly but remain the focus of the mix, supported by hand-slapped drums and the return of the jangled guitars, which along with some of the thick melodic synths from the original carry the track to its conclusion.

Williams' Reprise Theme is a beat-less amalgamation of the melodics of the original mix, built on the full bleary synths that are tweaked morphologically such that they pulse and swell. The mechanics of an acid machine texture the reprise with pilly fills, which exit the track on a slide of gentle hats.

Don't be discouraged by the mass of sounds thrown at you; the boys of White Maison have skillfully crafted a sleek mix of instruments that will complement any adventure on an evening out. Even having that said, based on their influences it's absolutely the last thing you'd expect to hear together and the first thing you'll want to pick up. 'Night Driving' is out now on Love Triangle Music.