California outfit Redux Saints make their EJ Underground debut with a strong two part EP consisting of three core tracks plus remixes by Doorly and Soultrack.
Rebirth steams in with a no-nonsense approach. Dark swirling pads and mood bass give way to heavily sidechained strings and the hint of a vocal to weave through your consciousness. At times warm and tender, these moments are fleeting and serve only to bring you back upstairs for a while so they can remind you how dark it is down in the basement. The Doorly remix builds upon this, giving extra movement in the bassline, added shuffle to the percussion and a pluckiness that lets your fingers do the walking into a killer breakdown. Take the original and move it two hours later into the evening and you’ll see where I’m coming from.
Cry Of Fear takes a thick atmospheric soundscape, injects a haunting vocal and moulds it into a credible offering. Anthemic without being cheesy, this will work as mood builder or as part of warmup playlist. It’s energy is on the restrained side but that’s no bad thing. Listen and you’ll see why. The Soultrack remix carves into this with knife edged precision and takes it up a notch, losing none of the emotion yet delivering crisp impact and bringing to it a dancefloor sheen.
Quintessence seems like a bonus number on an already rich package, yet has a charm all its own. Deep and beguiling with wide filtered sweeps this will give your dancefloor room to breathe before its plunging bass twists it all around and the modulated lead demands your return to the matter at hand. An enjoyable number and rounds off the EP nicely.
In summary, a great package with a lot of variation to suit a multitude of requirements. The original tracks work well in their own regard but the remixes give a UK flavour which can’t be replicated. Definitely worth a listen.
Words: Dave Stalker
Mark 5 out of 5
