The Vitals:

Label: Alibi Vinyl
Genre: Tech House
Number of Tracks: 2
How to Obtain: www.alibivinyl.co.uk

Factor Scores:

Production Quality: 7.0
Programming and Arrangement: 8.0
Entertainment Quality: 7.3
Total: 7.5 - Good

Ikronix's Take: 

Acid Winter is a bit of a departure from Spector's previous releases.  Those familiar with the dance duo will know that they definitely have a handle on contemporary production techniques, so the retro sound you'll find here might be surprising.  The two tracks—"Acid" and "Tracy Winter"—are a pair of DJ-friendly kickers, probably not destined for peak-hour glory, but solid in their own right.

Production – 7.0

"Acid", in particular, is defiantly old-school in its instrumentation.  Vintage, synthesized percussion and bit-crushed vocal syllables balance well with the clean leads that make up the track's melodies, made particularly impressive by the sheer number of different elements that make up the climax of the track.  Unfortunately, the bass on this track is dangerously close to clipping out.  On a great sound system, it's great… but testing it on a loud, but merely adequate system caused the low end to blow out.  Considering how often loud systems are improperly configured, this is going to be a point of consternation for many performing DJs.

"Tracy Winter" doesn't require the same practical consideration.  The low end is clean, well-balanced on even poor audio systems.  Also in contrast, the instrumentation is smooth and funky, even the overdriven guitar stabs.  Still, there is a definite old-school foundation to this track, especially in the percussion and stringed chords, but rather than tracking on nostalgia, like many like-minded hours tracks, everything works and fits together on its own merits.

There are some generic sweeps and whooshes that come around in both tracks, but it's not a terrible detractor from the enjoyment of the song.

Programming & Arrangement: 8.0

Progressive, DJ-friendly tracks often suffer from too much repetition, making parts of them boring to listen to.  Neither track on this release has that problem; instead, they both evolve and shift in interesting ways as the tracks progress.  Now, both songs rely more on rhythmic evolution rather than melodic (what transpires before the breakdown is what will follow it), but they keep from going stale by making the most of each musical phrase.  A fine line to walk, but Spector has no problem pulling it off.

Entertainment Quality: 7.3

The appeal of these tracks won't be universal. Clearly, this release is not aimed at breaking the Billboard Top 40.  They're underground tracks in underground genres, and they're structured to be dropped in the mix by DJs.  Despite this, Spector does an admirable job in holding a unique groove, and most fans of the tech house genre should probably enjoy this release.

However, this might not convert many new fans.  In each track, especially "Acid", even a little bit of melodic variation after the breakdown would have gone a long ways towards making this more engaging.  Rhythm hounds will appreciate what this has to offer, though.

Total: 7.5

These tracks are good, no doubt about it.  Tech-house fans should appreciate Spector's foray into their genre, but if your musical taste lies in other places, you might want to preview the tracks before dropping money on the release.  It is, however, worth the time to check out.  You might be surprised.