DJ 3000 - Hotel Oasiz

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  • DJ 3000 may no longer live in Detroit, but you can still hear it in his music. The 12-inch mix of "Hotel Oasiz" is classic Motor City. Elastic bass intermingles with tighter plucks, while heroic-sounding pads saunter in the distance, never quite showing their true power. However, aside from the euphonic vocals—female, multi-voice, indistinct—the track's undoubted centrepiece is its luminescent strings. They're a pretty familiar sound, but their golden bowing is no less moving. The two work in unison, moulding gentle peaks and troughs without going to extremes. The instrumental proves the substrate almost as exciting by itself. Similarly, a beatless version affirms the track's melodic integrity, deleting the kick drum—and some deadened toms in the breakdown—to create a useful DJ tool. Alexis Tyrel's version feels a touch housier, at least percussion-wise. The Dutchman's take ups the dance appeal, adding swinging hi-hats, curt drum rolls and mellow synth stabs. Again the vocals prove their worth, presiding serenely over the tune's middle like a fluttering veil. Unsurprisingly though, it's Robert Hood's ten minute interpretation which makes best use of the original harmonies. In a largely beatless intro, the veteran producer spools out the vocals in their entirety, building palpable tension. The track's mid-section sees a massive release, Hood crushing the vocals down into frantic loops with a walloping kick drum. There's little trace of the original's strings, but in the clutches of Hood—and his trademark loops—it's hard to wish them back.
  • Tracklist
      01. Hotel Oasiz feat. San (Robert Hood remix) 02. Hotel Oasiz feat. San (Alexis Tyrel remix) 03. Hotel Oasiz feat. San (12-inch Mix) 04. Hotel Oasiz feat. San (Instrumental Mix) 05. Hotel Oasiz feat. San (Beatless Mix)
RA