It is progressive, it is techie, and it is tribal. I just like it. I do wish that the remix had been a bit more aggressive in nature and had moved further away from the original mix than it did, but it is a nice subtle remix. Sometimes the best remixes vary the most from the original and sometimes they do not. Regardless, the remix is just as good as the original.

The Vitals:

Label: Subversive
Genre: Tech house
Number of Tracks: 2
How you can obtain a copy: This release is available on both vinyl and MP3 at popular vinyl and MP3 shops.

Factor Scores:

• Production Quality: 7.5
• Programming and Arrangement: 8.0
• Entertainment Quality: 8.5
• Total: 8.0 - Great

Summary:

Steve Lawler has returned with Lost. He is probably best known for his Lights Out series on Global Underground and a few releases on Bedrock like Rise In. The original mix is one of those epic ten minute mixes that you will either love or hate as a DJ. Personally, I love long tracks. Maybe I just have a longer attention span. It brings back a bit of an old skool sound though a 303 loop and keeps the track moving with some nice bell or electronic piano like synth stabs that fade in and out through out the mix. This version of the track is more tech house than tribal house. The remix on the B side is brought to us by Mark Knight & Martijn Ten Velden. The biggest difference here is that they have introduced more of a tribal rhythm to the track, added some synth sweeps and pulled way back on the 303 loop, although it is still present. Both mixes are extremely similar to each other.

Factor Scores Breakdown:

Production Quality: 7.5

The sound levels and the mastering are exactly what you would expect from any major label release, but there is nothing really special about it. The two mixes do use different sound levels however. The original mix is more compressed sounding while the remix is has a lighter airy feel to it and is much less compressed however it does not seem to fill the room as much. This provides mixes for two very different types of DJ sets: the darker progressive ala Steve Lawler and the lighter more mainstream progressive ala Sasha.

Programming & Arrangement: 8.0

I have to say that the 303 is coming back into style now, but it is not being used in the same way it has been in that past. It has become a really useful accent tool now as opposed to the constant never ending synth loops that we have heard in the past from most techno and early trance producers. Sure it plays around with the LFOs and cutoffs as is traditional, but here Lawler uses the synth to provide accents for the song rather than using it for the main synthline for the song. This actually becomes very effective for both driving the track and adding some grit to it. The highlights of the track are the synth stabs that are layered over the 303. They’re simple, well mixed and just grab your attention. The main thing that keeps these stabs from being boring is the simple way they fade in and out throughout the mix.

The Knight & Ten Velden remix is just pretty to listen to. There really is not anything that is too different from it, but just the way they chose to adjust the sound levels throughout the track really changed the feel of it. Rather than sounding like something dark is driving you forward relentlessly, this remix is more of a loving embrace. Is it as pretty as something Sasha or Junkie XL might put together? No. There is still plenty of muck, mire and grit to it. It just does not drive as hard as the original.

Entertainment Quality: 8.5

This is one of those tracks that you want to hear near peak time. It would make for a great next to last track before a climax of you set. The builds are all in the right place for this and executed perfectly. It could also be that climax if you are using the original mix. Just about any progressive/tech house clubber should like it.

Total: 8.0 - Great

There is more than enough in these two mixes to keep a progressive DJ happy for a good while. For some the ten minute length of the original may be annoying, but any good DJ knows that’s just extra mix time. Overall, it’s a well executed track.

Dave’s Take:

It is progressive, it is techie, and it is tribal. I just like it. I do wish that the remix had been a bit more aggressive in nature and had moved further away from the original mix than it did, but it is a nice subtle remix. Sometimes the best remixes vary the most from the original and sometimes they do not. Regardless, the remix is just as good as the original.