Released
December 2008 / January 2009
- We don't throw five's around at RA very often, but, then again, most record labels don't re-release tracks like these on vinyl very often either. In these two samplers of tracks taken from their Secretsundaze Volume 2, , Giles Smith and James Priestley have put some gems back into circulation.
Criticism here of Afefe Iku's "Mirror Dance," Holy Ghost Inc's "Walk on Air" and Ron Trent & Chez Damier's "Morning Factory" is worthless. Each track is a stone-cold classic, whether it be how "Walk on Air"'s final third matches Laurie Anderson's "O Superman" in its assured minimalism and genuine heartbreak. Or how Iku's mind-warping tribal house can get away with eight minutes of one ridiculously catchy riff. Or, you know, how "Morning Factory" is quite possibly one of the finest techno tracks ever written.
In fact, the only thing really worth talking about is Rozzo's "Azzurro," a tune composed especially for Giles Smith's mix. It has a gentile nature, but unlike Trent's flipside epic it doesn't quite have the same presence. (What does?) Rozzo was presumably working towards making "Azzurro" a fantastic deep house tool for Smith to use to move in any direction that he might want. And, on that level, it's a huge success. (Just listen to the mix for proof. It's a respectable lead-in to "Morning Factory.") But plenty of tools also transcend the tag. It's a solid record, but "Azzurro" isn't something that will be re-released in a decade's time.
TracklistSecretsundaze Volume 2 Album Sampler A
A1 Ron Trent & Chez Damier - The Morning Factory
AA1 Rozzo - Azzurro
Secretsundaze Volume 2 Album Sampler B
A1 Holy Ghost Inc. - Walk On Air
AA1 Afefe Iku - Mirror Dance