- "Patrik(Dr.Motte's 1997 mix)", an epic release from one of Germany's electronic father figures, harks back to a time when techno rhythms became fused with trance elements; a golden era of non-commercial trance when figures like Oliver Lieb, Cosmic Baby and Paul Van Dyk emerged, but long before the latter went on to become a poster-boy for the trance wave that has swept Europe since the late nineties.
The track builds constantly from its bubbling bassline, which sounds like a snippet of the bass riff from Leftfield's "Song of Life". Paper-like snares fizzle along with timbales added until an unassuming beat joins in. The breaks and swells which develop from the synths provide a pattern which is fairly unchanged throughout; the listener teased by the ongoing build-ups which never quite ignite into a forceful motion. Typical of Matthias Roeingh's productions, which have also appeared on legendary labels MFS and Low Spirit, its understated feel is a million miles from the 'bosh bosh' nonsense we hear so much of today.
The man who started the Berlin Love Parade still appeals to current DJs such as Ricardo Villalobos, who has licensed this track for his Cocoon mix CD "Green & Blue", and this re-release is a timely nod of respect to a man who since the beginning, has done so much for trance music in Germany.
D-Saw's "Track 10:30" on the flip is the moodier of the two on this second Immer release. Modulating-tones oscillate and push up through delicate, abstract, opening beats; the track's foundations built around this pulsing, syncopated melody. All this serves to heighten the energy until a kick-drum slides out from under the whole piece, making a stronger presence as the track progresses. Little reprises offset the pitch of the now occasional, acidic-synth; the beat subsiding before it comes back in with a jacking hi-end. This struggle between the melodic trance induced by the synths and the vitality of the skeletal beats pull the listener along, reminding me much of a time circa '95-'97 when German producers like Pascal F.E.O.S, Sven Vath and Louis Cypher were revered production names and trance in europe had not yet sold out to a popularity contest where individuality and obscure sounds were dropped in favour of mainstream, profit-motivated ventures.
It's good to see a track like this seeing the light of day again and this one should appeal to both those remininiscing about the glory days of trance and possibly a few newbies who like their trance melodic and a little more refined.