- Of "Sun Avenue," the Aim label's fifth release and a de facto celebration of their accomplishments thus far, I wrote that "this doublepack proves we'll take as much of them as we can get." As the label revisits that exquisite material with a 12-inch of remixes, I—and I'm sure scores of others—am getting what I asked for. Fittingly for a crew as tight as this one, Sun Avenue Remixes is mostly an inside job, and the approach pays off: the label continues to develop and distinguish itself here, shining light on as many sides of their sound as they can.
Oskar Offermann kicks things off with his take on Oliver Deutschmann's "Gasolinum," the original collection's most banging inclusion. Offermann scoops out the hard edge on his remix, but the original's drive remains intact. The edge on Christopher Rau's "For You and Me" was slightly less sharp, but Moomin's remix still finds a softer side to emphasize without fully releasing the original's tension. Jacques Bon & Nicolas Villebrun nailed Aim's deeper side on "Pyramid," but on his remix, Christopher Rau takes its melody into the jackin' zone, setting his 707s on full tilt. Lowtec, of course, is the name most likely to raise eyebrows here: the Workshop boss is the lone outsider featured and generally comes at house from farther afield than the rest of this crew. His remix of Ron Deacon's "The Rhythm," though, actually smooths out some of the original's eccentricities, adding insidious, hypnotic rhythms to its music box melody.
Tracklist A1 Oliver Deutschmann - Gasolinum (Oskar Offermann Remix)
A2 Christopher Rau - For You And For Me (Moomin Remix)
B1 Jacques Bon & Nicolas Villebrun - Pyramid (Christopher Rau remix)
B2 Ron Deacon - The Rhythm (Lowtec remix)