- For the fourth release from Berlin label Rhythm Nation, Marquis Hawkes dons his Juxta Position alias to deliver two hybrid dance tracks. Soon follows two previous records for DVS1's Mistress Recordings, which took an open-ended approach to blending house, techno and electro. This 12-inch is no less tough than those, but Hawkes seems to have narrowed his focus stylistically. Heavy techno rhythms underpin each side, leaving room for the lighter, brighter side of house to color in the rest. When it's all executed with a thoughtful touch, the results make for elegant body music.
Hawkes nails the sound on "Soon," a boomy banger that has no qualms topping its dark dance floor churn with wispy soul samples and strings. Despite a simplistic linear construction, the track remains engaging for its wealth of layered drum sequences, which expand and contract just enough to make a dynamic mix. It's something "Neubau Signal" could have given more attention. After the tune's beatless opening introduces a few piano chords and a distant growl of thunder, Hawkes does little more than run hard-smacking claps, orchestral samples and sharp hi-hats in and out of rotation over the steady 4/4. Without the nuanced structure of the A-side, "Neubau Signal" plays more like an embellished DJ tool.
TracklistA Soon
B Neubau Signal