Back in 2002 King Britt’s rerub of this trip-hop tune was THE sound of Ibiza, a record so omnipresent it managed to find a place in the sets of nigh on every DJ playing in the clubs, from Judge Jules at Eden, Carl Cox (and countless others) in Space and Timo Maas at DC10.
We’re gonna go out on a limb here – but King Britt’s rerub of this is arguably the best house record of the millennium (at least one-third of us thinks that, anyway). Tracky, skipping drums mark out the beginning before the immortal “open up your mind” refrain appears, the track slowly but surely weaving more and more elements into the mix. It’s so soft and so subtle as it starts and gloriously paced; well over two minutes go by before the bassline appears and it’s past five before the delirium really reaches its climax.
What also makes it so good is its versatility. It’s basically a funky house record, but crafted so brilliantly that it can work on so many levels. It’s quick enough (just shy of 129 BPM) to work with techno, particularly as the construction is pretty skeletal and the elements so sparsely stitched together in the beginning. It also oozes enough funk and swing to work peak time in a house set as well, and still sounds good pitched up or down on vinyl, let alone before the digital era made shifting speeds less of a dancefloor jar. We’ve rinsed it over the years, but much better DJs as varied as Laurent Garnier, Steve Lawler, Dixon and DJ Sneak have given us proper fist pump moments as punters.
The original, a pleasant trip hop number that works well for beach sets is also included, as it Mat Playford’s wilder edit of King Britt’s version. Both are useful on their own levels but feel like covers of the King Britt, which considering the former is the original pays no higher tribute to King Britt’s productiuon masterclass. If you don;t already own this record correct that mistake now.
Review Score – 5/5
Autocycle
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@boomnote
@MatPlayford