Gremino - Shining / Be And See

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  • Hailing from Porvoo, Finland, Gremino might seem an odd proponent of UK bass music, but it's not so crazy when you think about it. Shining / Be And See simply serves as yet another reminder of the huge impact that the small island has had on music throughout the world. On this release, his second for Seattle's Car Crash Set, Gremino enlists the remix talents of Jam City and Grievous Angel who turn in interpretations in and around the 130 BPM range. "Shining" is Roska teaming up with the No U Turn techstep crew via Sweden's Air Frog: The end result sounds fresh, but still familiar. Conga hits dance around the backbeat ala UK funky, but the rumbling and rolling bassline is far from the funky ethos. Filtering and mutating throughout the track, it slowly but surely ends up as a Reese bassline, a sonic signifier that originated in techno, but is now an integral part of the hardcore, jungle and d&b lineage. Modulations and filters alongside synth bleeps, pads and strings build things up and break them down, but the growling bass is never far away. Jam City takes these ingredients and ups the funky; discordant synths and effects weave themselves around the gripping beat, providing a more restrained take on the original mix. "Be and See" is less in your face. Breakbeat fills turn around the skippy bass drum and sub bass booms are peppered by vocal samples and synth stabs. Halfway through, a whining and suspense-building synth squeal takes over. It works at first, but ultimately becomes an annoyance and detracts from the power of the stripped-down groove that set things off. Grievous Angel turns the track into a dark, rolling garage workout, the synth squeal transformed into a bubbling background element while the vocal dances over the raw bass and beats.
  • Tracklist
      01. Shining 02. Shining (Jam City Remix) 03. Be And See 04. Be And See (Grievous Angel Remix)
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