- Having gone silent since their Secretsundaze Volume 2 mix back in 2008, Brawther's Do It Again EP is a landmark release for James Priestley and Gilles Smith in at least two ways. It marks both the re-launch of a label that, while hardly prolific, was pretty much unanimously well-received, while also representing the duo's first foray into the world of releasing singles rather than the aforementioned tried-and-tested compilation format.
So how best to reintroduce yourselves to a loyal, if slightly hungry fanbase after a three year absence? The answer, it turns out, is to release something so on point with current trends that it might end up getting lost in the tidal wave of competition. "Do It Yourself" sounds like an offering from Axel Boman and FCL, should the three of them ever join creative forces. No bad thing you might think, and while it's certainly a solid groove, it sounds so much like them that you can't help but bring to mind more satisfying previous productions from those artists. If that seems a little picky, that's probably because it is; after all, if these are the artists someone is both choosing to emulate and (pulling it off in such an assured fashion), then complaining about their success is surely a little churlish. It just somehow seems to lack the spark that would have elevated it from solid to exceptional.
Of the two mixes of "Spaceman Funk" on offer, the Deep Club Mix is a sauntered jaunt through scratchy bass and mellow pads, it's lethargic tone juxtaposes nicely with lively hats and restrained use of a Billie Ray Martin sample. For his remix, George FitzGerald merges bass instincts with techno sensibilities and produces something that eagerly pushes a foot into both territories without properly establishing a firm hold in either.
Tracklist A1 Spaceman Funk (Deep Club Mix)
A2 Do It Yourself (Alternative Mix)
B1 Spaceman Funk (George FitzGerald Remix)