If you know anything about the Swiss house scene you will likely know Benji & Reto Ardour, a fearsome partnership that is well known in their native Zurich and after more EPs like this deserve to have a worldwide fan base. Their latest comes on Hive, a local label that has a global audience, and for good reason. It’s full of a trio of tech house tracks that not only keep a firm focus on the dance floor, but also come awash with great melodies and future moods. Up first is Strongship, a meandering cut with a wide open sky of well played melodies above metallic beats. Decision is a tougher, more peak time tune with corrugated drums and machine gun like bass that is full of kinetic energy. The synths are raw, the mood is cosmic and the groove is perfect. Last but not least is Sacrifice, with its chord stabs rolling over subtly ticking beats. Explosions of drum hits, ditty patterns and the ever infectious drums are well defined, colourful and moody and make for perfect modern dance music with real feeling.
4 out of 5
Reviewed by Ian Fleming
