- Aquasky's Passenger label has been going through a transition period recently. Future releases are set to come from new signings with remixes provided courtesy of the biggest and best names in breakbeat and drum'n'bass in the aftermath of Aquasky’s ‘Teamplayers’ LP. Fresh out of Sweden is new signee Rob Le Pitch, previously released on Fragile Records, who brings in an electrohouse flavour to the label. For remix duties, Tom Real and Rogue Element turn out the party-rocking breakbeats keeping Passenger's feet firmly planted on breakbeat soil.
Twisted is built on a four to the floor house beat with hats and snares slowly building to a bubbling electro bassline and old skool synth stab. The main melodic hook is a synth, lending the tune a distinct breakbeat-meets-French-filterhouse flavour. In the beatdown, the beat flips from four to the floor into an electro b-boy break before flipping back again.
The Tom Real & Rogue Element remix represents the breakbeat side that Passenger is known for, laying down an electro b-boy break that nods to the electro of old with synthetic cowbell licks. Real & Rogue plant the synth stabs of the original into a suspenseful breakdown which should catch dancers off guard. The melodic hook of the original is now a distorted, rolling bassline filled up by a synth sweep. In the middle Real & Rogue bring out a breakers delight dropping the electro breakbeat from the intro and spicing it up with electro cuts, triplet fills and riff variations... Whoa, there's certainly a lot going on here.
Personally, I'm going to side with Real & Rogue's breakbeat remix especially since I can foresee a crowd going crazy to the mash of electro and b-boy styles going on. In saying that though, the original version of Twisted should easily win fans of electro and house persuasions over to Passenger.