Unkle featuring Ian Brown - Reign

  • Published
    Oct 22, 2004
  • Words
    Resident Advisor
  • Released
    November 8, 2004
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  • When it comes to underground collaborations most strive for the results that James Lavelle and Richard File have provided in signing up Stone Roses singer Ian Brown to deliver vocals on Reign, set for release November 8. Unkle on the doorstep of finally obtaining an international release for their Never, Never Land album, initially released last year but didn’t receive full distribution due to problems with Universal Island, have their first single on Global Underground's offshoot label. Getting down to business and kicking off the pack is the Radio Edit of Reign. It is short, it is to the point, and it does the job. But it is not until you move onto the following, and more interesting remixes, where you find the true depth of this single. And the next mix forces me the pose the question... What do you get when you cross Killa with Unkle featuring Ian Brown? The answer... A full 12 and a half minutes of pure epic Reign by Way Out West fresh off the release of their Don’t Look Now artist album. It sees Nick Warren and Jody Wisternoff take full advantage of Ian Brown’s awesome vocals in creating this very long, club-focused mix. It is similar to Killa, an impressive work of production in its own right, but it is combined very well and certainly gets the job done on the dance floor. Following this long-winded mix is Evil 9 with a special breakbeat version. They provide a more warped, obscure cut of Reign with loads of deep electro-stretched beats. Easily the most interesting and abstract of remixes on this single and a must-have for any die-hard E9 fan. Filling in for a simple yet extended as the remix title would suggest, Morgan Geist, delivers his 'Delayed Gratification mix'. Morgan removes some of the Reign's samples, which gives it its full-bodied feel, and it's and it's not until towards the end of the track that the full effects and depth are dropped back in. Finishing off the single is a new bass-heavy tweak from Unkle with their Reconstruction of the original. It's nice, but it's nothing to write home about. Something new and fresh was required to give Reign a worthy release as a single. The mixes featured cover all the remixes bases you would expect, both varied and moving, and does the Unkle featuring Ian Brown tune much justice. Unkle's Reign is yet another great notch on the GU Music bedpost.
RA