Artist: Saeed & Palash
Title: Watching You
Label: Distinctive Records
By: Simon Jones | 3 July 2002
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Hydrogen Rockers Mix

Saeed & Palash "Watching You"

Saeed and Palash are a well respected production and remix outfit in the US, in addition to being in-demand djs and running the label Addictive. More recently they compiled the latest in the Tide:Edit compilation series and now have licensed the track Watching You to Distinctive, a track that has already been supported by Anthony Pappa on his Resolution cd. So let's find out if it lives up to the expectations.

The Original Mix starts off with some deep synth effects leading the way into some tight rising drum percussion that slowly builds with snare effects sliding in between the grooves like a jigsaw puzzle before the dark and hypnotic growls through the speakers before the track continues on. The only problem is that you feel like you've been here before and it doesn’t really offer anything innovative to what we've heard before. A tremendous shame considering the track record this duo have had over the past months.

Hydrogen Rockers rework the track into a driving progressive influenced cut with synths firing off over the bassline before fading to nothing and the vocal being given a chance to shine before atmospheric synths lift the vocal to the next level and the track twists and turns onward. A great rework that has much more appeal than the original.

It would appear Distinctive are moving away from a small handful of artists to a more diverse range of releases, but I don't think this is the best start they could have got off to really. We shall see over the coming months if this is a gamble that shall pay off.