- Joshua Collins is a producer who has been doing the rounds quite a bit in the last few years in imprints such as Hooj, Prolekult and Grayhound just to name a few. He again returns, this time to mark the first release for this new imprint, Boxa Records, called Feel It In The Air. To get things off to a good start, the label has also earmarked the likes of Blue Haze (Mick Parks) as well as Marky to include their reworks.
It is indeed the Blue Haze Mix that features first up on the record taking up the a-side. Expect the usual solid business from Blue Haze, as he unleashes his trademark smooth baselines and melodic tones with a solid production that oozes with nice soothing atmospheric moments. The breakdown midway must take special mention, with the beautiful string patterns and the deep chunky baseline, that set a nice mood for the remainder of the production.
First up on the flip is the Original Mix from Josh himself. Quite minimal compared to the Blue Haze mix, the track flows quite nicely with some smooth drum patterns as well as some subtle baselines and the occasional flurry of subtle warm pads.
Marky’s Tech-Horse Mix follows, and as the name suggest, it is a nice bouncy tech house interpretation. Nice upbeat drums meet quite nicely with some smooth flowing sounds as well as some quirky sounds. Quite minimal throughout, the track perhaps lacks a little cutting edge.
Not a bad way to start off the label, and for me it is the work yet again of Blue Haze that makes this release quite strong. The b-side is nice but it perhaps lacks the cutting edge the a-side has slightly more of.