Whether making crisp microhouse for Soundvariation or grooving on deep house for Yore, Andy Vaz has long brought his own signature to established sounds—be it a little techno heft beneath otherwise standard house or a soft touch to something more experimental. So it's disappointing not to find his usual smudges all over the surprisingly by-the-book "Don't Lose Your Mind," his debut for Delsin.
Over a wall-shaking kick and fluttering melody, Marks enters the "Soul Vocal Mix" with the sort of smooth authority that makes him a dead-ringer for Robert Owens on Fingers Inc.'s Another Side. Unfortunately, that becomes this record's biggest liability: you may not have heard this precise groove before, but if you've done your homework, you may as well have. Vaz is again going through the motions on the "Dub House Mix," crafting the sort of stripped-down B-side you'd find on any number of house 12-inches in 1992. Chunkiness gets the best of him here, though: employing an oddly emphasized beat, Vaz seems to be hiding the groove from the dance floor. Vaz and Marks obviously know their American progenitors as well as anyone, but this time out, they've really only scratched the surface.
Buy Andy Vaz feat. Niko Marks - Don't Lose Your Mind at
  
Tracklist: Andy Vaz feat. Niko Marks - Don't Lose Your Mind
 A Don't Lose Your Mind (Soul Vocal Mix)
AA Don't Lose Your Mind (House Dub Mix)
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