- Expanding on a strong foundation, Part 2 of Pressure offers five new cuts; one from American duo Octave One, and two each from Vince Watson and Steve Rachmad. Clocking in at just over ten minutes long, Rachmad's first remix of the title track shows little patience for the original's lengthy lead notes. Instead, he carefully selects from the supporting cast of brisk arpeggios and the like. Additionally, he injects plenty of original stuff; sparkly chimes, brief fizzes of synth and...something that sounds like sleigh bells. Whereas Watson's original was rather single-minded, Rachmad moves methodically through various sound combinations in the calmest of ways. His second remix is titled "Stripped," an amusing label considering the minimalism of the other. Nonetheless, it does live up to its name, with the extra melodic elements left out this time. What remains is the original's aqueous chiming and the aforementioned sleigh bells, which rustle more than jingle.
Watson's first offering will probably only interest DJs. Billed as a dub of "Pressure," it removes a minute's worth of material and shuffles the structure a bit. It's hard to see why he bothered to include something so similar for this second package, however nice it may be. "Spirit," meanwhile, is probably the most exciting thing here, courting the jaunty optimism so often found on '90s records (or more recently, MD's It Ain't What It Used To Be.) A fuzzy bassline sets the pace, with ghostly wails and glassy pings alternately stealing the stage from one another. At 132 BPM, it's fast by today's standards, but the sunny mood keeps things from turning savage. With these factors in mind, "Spirit" would seem perfect remix fodder for Octave One's energetic palette. Surprisingly, the two brothers turn in a more pensive re-work, amplifying the ghostly wails into a weakened spectre that hovers over the entire track. However, a speaker-busting kick compensates for the lower tempo and gentler synth work.
Tracklist 01. Pressure (Steve Rachmad Remix)
02. Pressure (Steve Rachmad Stripped Edit)
03. Pressure (Club Dub)
04. Spirit
05. Spirit (Octave One Remix)