- If you're in the over-35 category, then the veteran Dutch house producer Gerd's first release under his new moniker, NY Stomp, will act as a sensory trigger back to simpler times. "NY House Trak" and, to a lesser extent, its sibling "Can You Feel It?"
are an unabashed homage to New York/New Jersey's early '90s house scene. The former opens up from its opening tough kick drums, scattergun hi-hats and vocal grunts into a Lil' Louis-meets-Kenny Dope dance floor jam, replete with wobbling synth pads. Italian producer Nicholas then transplants in a fuzzy, digifunk bassline for his take; it's decent, but doesn't quite have the presence generated by the original.
"Can You Feel It?" uses some of the nuances of the previous track—especially the plonking period synth stabs—but is an altogether deeper, druggier, locked-in affair. US producer DJ Aakmael takes the track even deeper still with a maudlin, soulful, pitch-bent organ sound permeating the cracks. Finally, Illusion Recordings head honchos James Cotterill and Ross Elliott pare the original back to the bare bones then skin it with a moody, dubby, percussive remix dotted with backspins and dramatic bass synth stabs. But it's that original mix of the lead cut that will win the bulk of the plaudits here.
TracklistA1 The NY House Trak
A2 The NY House Trak (Nicholas Basement Dub)
B1 Can You Feel It?
B2 Can You Feel It? (DJ Aakmael After Midnight Dub)
Digital: The NY House Trak (Elliott & Cotterill's Intergalactic Rudeboy Dub)