Artist: Odysseus Feat Kitka
Title: Insignia
Label: Pied Piper Records
By: Simon Jones | 23 January 2003
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Deeper Mix

Odysseus Feat Kitka "Insignia"

Odysseus is the project of Phil Joyce, a Birmingham, UK based producer. Previous work has come on Pied Piper with 'Zero Gravity', but here he opts for a slightly different style of track, calling on the talents of California based female ensemble Kitka, who previously have created vocal harmonies for films including Jacob's Ladder and Braveheart. 'Insignia' draws on their harmonies and pulls them into the underground world of dance music. Does this idea translate well? Let's find out..

The 'Original Mix' starts off with somce nice compacted beats, which soon shift gear into the spacial ambience of the main groove of the track. Warm synths and sounds ladden the backdrop as the ethereal vocals of Kitka swim gracefully across the strings that lead into the break, where the uplifting elements of the mix come into their own, featuring prominently as the mix fades to outro.

The flipside features the 'Deeper Mix' which draws on tribal influences for it's percussion and drum line, with analogue style sounds bubbling to the surface in between the beat arrangement, which perfectly compliments the flow of Kitka's vocals within the mix. Upbeat dramatic synths build into the dreamy ambient break, before falling in upon the soundscape once more to bring the mix to a climax at a high.

Whilst not as well rounded as the X-Trax release that preceeded it, this 12" offers two unique melodic house cuts that will sit perfectly in a warm up or mid set environment. Give it a listen next time you are at the store and see what you think for yourself.