I’m a big fan of Mark Archer, who also was/is Altern 8 and since those first appearances in the early 90s he has kept the formular of the masked hardcore act working. Not everybody seems to know that he is behind some more monikers though, Mr. Nex, DJ Nex or Xen Mantra come to my mind. The last mentioned used to be his House alias with some amazing EPs dropping on Dansa Records in the 90s and remixes for then great labels like 6×6, Positiva or Urban Hero.
It is a good sign that the man is now back on his home label with a new EP called ‘The Vibe’. Even though the track itself is an unreleased gem from 1998, it shows which enormous quality his productions back in the day had-it is a skippy, moody affair with a Ddep rolling bass and synth stabs. They blend with classic cut-n-stretched vocals over punchy garage drums and snappy snares.
On remix duties we find BKT, aka Brian ‘Keys’ Tharme delivering a bouncy summer groove complete with his trademark jazzy keys and driving percussion.
Wrapping up the package we have label don Danny Taurus whose Dub is my personal kick as it is a bouncy, bass heavy deep affair that keeps your hips swingin!
4.5 out of 5
Available here: https://www.traxsource.com/title/1420593/the-vibe
Reviewed by MANNIX
