- Locked Groove's comeback EP, released in January, had glimmers of trance and progressive house. He expands those styles into radiant beams of light on his latest EP, Progression, for the Milan label Just This. You'd be forgiven for thinking that "The Come Up" was a relic of the early '00s prog and breakbeat days—the heady era of Involver—with its grandiose synths, which capture the space-age slinkiness of that era while zig-zaging in funky patterns. The same goes for "Progression," which is faster but doesn't feel like it. The track is one giant build-up, as big melodies are teased but never overwhelm.
Two Prequel Tapes remixes of "The Come Up" have similar moods. The "Going Up" version puts a techno spin on the original to craft the EP's most functional track. But it's the "Going Down" remix, a neatly textured downtempo cut that ambles between beatless passages and sauntering breakbeats, that truely harnesses the spirit of Progression. Like the other tracks, it invites you to sit back and savour every twinkle and texture.
Tracklist01. Progression
02. The Come Up
03. The Come Up (Prequel Tapes Going Up Mix)
04. The Come Up (Prequel Tapes Going Down Mix)