The Vitals:

Label: Layers of Sound Recordings
Genre: Electro House
Number of Tracks: 5 and 1 Radio edit
How to Obtain: www.layersofsound.com, www.beatport.com, www.traxsource.com

Factor Scores:

Production Quality: 8.0
Programming and Arrangement: 7.9
Entertainment Quality: 8.0
Total: 7.9 – Very Good

Chris' Take:

Layers of Sound & The Demetrios Project (aka, Mike Newstead, Demetrios Demetriou, Bilonda Mfunyi-Tshiabu, and Helene Diamond) are one of my current favorite teams. Their lyrics are always fun and uplifting, and the music is funky and soaring! "Feel Alive" is no exception. I think they have the perfect formula for soulful house here. It's upbeat, fun to dance to, and dares you to sit still.

The Original (and radio edit) are "layered" with a simple bassline that carries the track along with its chorded melody and pads shimmering in the background. To top it all off are the brilliant vocals of The Demetrios Project. Lyrically, it calls everyone on the dance floor to feel alive to the dance beat and let the beat set you free. Just a lot of fun going on here.

Next up is the "LOS Re-touch of U-Ness & JedSet's Soulheater Mix". This funky guitar-fused remix borrows a lot from the original, while still maintaining the fact that it is a remix in its own right.

The "Jackindabox 3am Mix" is the major electro remix on this release. Twitchy synths and twerking melodies completely rewrite anything from the original. Lots of playful vocal sampling and a driving bassline keep the energy on this stomper going. There's this really cool, almost dreamy synth and breakbeat section about halfway in just before the full force of the track kicks back in. My only complaint here is that there is no real distinction of the actual lyrics in the song. It just plays with the vocals, but never goes into the actual chorus. I think the sung chorus would have had a lot of merit in this remix. Still, it's one of my faves.

The "Funked Up Electro Dub Mix" starts off sounding a lot like the original with almost no electro feel whatsoever. Then, the tweeky bassline comes in and starts to mess around a bit. By the time the background vocals kick in, it is starting to play out a bit more like a soulful house track than an electro track. My only reason for pointing this out is the fact that the remix is called an "Electro Dub", yet contains almost no electro influence. Now, on the other hand it is a very good dub based off the original. If you want the feel and the energy of the original but with as minimal vocals as possible, this would be the way to go. It is a very strong dub.

Last in my playlist is the "Funked Up Club Mix", which obviously the previously mentioned Electro Dub was based on. This remix starts off exactly like the original. Eventually a new bassline smooths its way in, and more layers of synths make their way into the soundscape. There's also a nice breakdown area about 2 minutes in that sounds like ocean waves sweeping over the music and kind of makes me feel like I should be dancing to this beachside on a bright summer day! Just a really nice reworking of the track going on here.

In reference to some of my comments on my review, I am loving this release. I just wanted to express the fact that some of the remixes could have been named differently and perhaps used more of the original vocals in some spots. That does not take away from how good this release is. "Feel Alive" is a really great track, and I am looking forward to wearing it out in my own sets.