Several months after launching the Berlin-based Skrufix label via a release under his Things With Wings moniker, British producer Alex Stacey considered bringing his own musical endeavors to a halt. Seeking solace in his collection of old jungle records, sentimental inspiration drove him to resurrect a demo he had assembled years back with Unchartered Audio's Stephen Hedley, AKA The Crane.
Winning support from an assortment of left-of-centre names including Justin Martin, Crazy P, Roska and Coldcut in the lead up to its release, "I Want to Fly" contrasts contemporary house sensibilities with rave cassette abandon. Instrumentally, it's comparable to Baby D's iconic "Let Me Be Your Fantasy," a progression of lamenting keys rolling over a grid of snares centred around a recurring amen break. Laced in Mega Drive nostalgia, the sporadic and lighthearted vocal samples link the track to the hammier aspects of the Dreamscape era, but it's all part of the fun. On the flip, Skrufix associate Spandex delivers a more charged rework by breaking the percussion up, splicing the vocals into syllabic pants and replacing the original's plaintive tones with acid stabs.
