Undulation 1 – Hector Romero & Satoshi Tomiie

  • Share
  • When you put two DJ’ing minds such as Hector Romero and Satoshi Tomiie together and ask them to combine and mix a label cd full of released and unreleased goodies from the New York based SAW Recordings, then you can assume something quite good is going to happen. Undulation 1 is the result from this little experiment, and it combines early release successes with new material from this great label. Medway & Sean Cusick combine yet again to open the mix with the very melodic and blissful ‘Sketch’. The mix then flows smoothly in the early stages to the summery vibes of ‘Rumble Funk’ by Blue Haze, which sees the vocal accapella of Bipath’s ‘Paranoize’ filter over the top of the retro melodies of the main body. The track then takes a little electro interlude with Missy Zeze & the Presslaboys and ‘E.F.X’, one of the forthcoming treats on SAW. By this stage, the mix is well and truly flowing, a point further emphasised by the psychedelic arpeggiated sounds of ‘Kenjin’ by Cass. The effects and eerie sounds of Madam’s ‘Penetration’ smother the breakdown, a little taste of the track that then leads into the full version shortly after. It’s minimal progressive at its best, relying on the use of effects and industrial sounds. The deep baselines of Subway Baby’s ‘Tribes of Khan Gala’ then keep the mix moving as does the Hard mix of ‘Why R U Here?’ by Lexicon Avenue until the mix meets a fusion of sounds, brilliantly achieved by Romero and Tomiie. That fusion being the vocals from ‘Why R U Here?’ smothered over the sounds of Meat Katie’s ‘K-Hole’ as well as Meat Katie’s remix of Stephane K’s ‘Numb’. Although its only 90 seconds in length, this focal point is nicely created and acts as a transition point for the mix to go all out. It does this with first the House Heads mix of ‘Why R U Here?’ again by Lexicon Avenue and then the very savvy ‘Scandal in New York’ by Satoshi himself featuring vocal talents of Ice. The brilliant talents of Rob Rives are put to the test with the delightfully chirpy piano lines of ‘Let Yourself Go’, and the mix then concludes with the trademark baselines and deep vocals of Echomen and their ‘Cure’. Often, label mixed cd’s can get a bit repetitive and lack any real depth. I can honestly say that this is not the case with Undulation 1, and its due to the great array of artists that SAW have under their belt. The mix moves from the minimal and sinister moments with Madam, to the beautiful melodic sceneries that Blue Haze is known for, and finally to the summer sounds and baselines of Echomen. Tracks aside, the mix is cleverly put together by two of the best in the business with Tomiie and Romero, and they haven’t lazily compiled this mix by any means. If there is any fault, it is that they possibly could have filled two discs with SAW goodness. A quality label showcased by a quality mix, be sure to see what SAW are all about.
RA