- White Maison is supposedly a group from Berlin that Williams—and the rest of the Love Triangle Music crew—doesn't know much about at all. It's pretty easy to fill in the blanks of their history, though, given "Night Driving." Grew up listening to Tangerine Dream, mind(s) blown by Giorgio Moroder, thankful that the Balearic revival is in full swing. It's a simple math equation, but one that holds up under the 15-minute epic that hogs the A-side of this release, going through every arpeggiator, wringing every bit of beatless drama out of its intro and bringing things back from the brink of cheesiness time and time again.
Depending on your tolerance for such things, "Night Driving" may get on your nerves a bit, but it's hard not to appreciate the ambition either way. A multi-movement quarter-of-an-hour single as your debut release? The only issue is that, for such a long song, it doesn't go anywhere all that interesting. The group runs the main theme through its paces, adding electric guitar licks here and acoustic color there. But you're left with the feeling that in the hands of a better arranger that the track's obviously purposeful progression would have been streamlined and improved.
If you didn't hear it in the original, you'll immediately understand why Williams jumped on the chance to release this track in his Main Remix: It sounds like the long lost cousin to his 2008 cover of Tangerine Dream's "Love on a Real Train," soft 4/4 bounce, thin steel drum-esque synth, acoustic strum and all. I'm personally more fascinated by his Reprise Theme which jettisons the beat altogether for a supple synth throb over the course of its four minutes. It's an ambient DJ's dream tool, and its simplistic aims—and subsequent success—make it the best thing here.
Tracklist A1 Night Driving (Original)
B1 Night Driving (Williams Main Mix)
B2 Night Driving (Williams Reprise Theme)