When it comes to crafting scrupulous tech-house, few of those in the modern domain can match up to the recent efforts of Northern Irish producer, Montel. The country is enjoying a real electronic music renaissance of late thanks to the work of Bicep, Ejeca et al, and on this showing the Roush label might just have unearthed their latest star turn. Seeing us on the way through this delicious 4-tracker is the most astute sounds of ‘The Limit’, which is the sort of full-on, old shool anthem that only the more discerning DJ need dare bring to the table. Similar in ways to the work of the aforementioned Ejeca, it fuses house and garage vibes, and it’s not difficult to imagine this one going off in a dimly lit warehouse at 6am in the morning. ‘New York Has Changed’ is an even more rugged and up-tempo affair, but one that’s not lacking in good times either. More versatile than what’s before, it leans more towards techno terrain and is cleverly backed by some NYC hip-hop vocals that interject throughout. System2’s take on ‘The Limit’ sess the original transformed into an unusual but intriguing beast, while Julien Sandre provides the proverbial cherry on top thanks to his interpretation of ‘New York Has Changed’. The Frenchmen has been on a role himself of late, and his remix is another to add into an increasingly impressive discography. Really fine work by all involved here.
Reviewed by Ian Fleming
