Artist: DJ Nukem
Title: Crash
Label: Musiq Records
By: Simon Jones | 16 January 2003
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Tribal Mix

DJ Nukem "Crash"

DJ Nukem has etched a name for himself in the tribal progressive corner of the music scene with numerous productions and remixes over the past few years, both in a solo capacity and with the help of Chab. Now 2003 sees him develop his ideas and sound further, with the first release on DJ Gogo's new imprint, Musiq Records, a track entitled 'Crash'.

Trademark Nukem production is immedieatly evident, as intricate layers of percussion open the proceedings on the 'Original Mix', soon giving way to smokey horns and string arrangements that dig deep into the mix and push the sounds above to the surface of the track, emitting a feeling of darkness and depth. Up to this point there's nothing particularly fresh but it's not long before the track twist and turns it's way into the atmospheric rolling break and then kicks back with heavy force into the mix once more.

Spin the disc over for the 'Tribal Mix', which strips down things to a minimum, and working the percussion to the max whilst working the tribal groove to the maximum. The same tight production as the original is evident, but this mix lacks that something that makes the original oddly addictive.

A fair start for this imprint, which looks set to push some of the more underrated talent such as Chab and Marcello Castelli in the coming months, and hopefully offer a sanctuary for fans of their work to head for admist the saturated music market. It will be interesting to see how that idea pays off as 2003 unfolds.