Hatfield & Beckers – Keep On (Sprout, March 2008)
Author: pr0fane
Date: Mar 24, 2008
Views: 3054
The old Export Audio duo Hatfield & Beckers return with an EP on Sprout, including a remix by the hot Velkro duo and Ido Ophir from Domestic.
Review by:
Jannick Andersen // DJ pr0fane (Iboga Records)
www.sunrisesupplies.com
Artist: Hatfield & Beckers
Title: Keep On
Label: Sprout
Format: MP3/12"
Released: March 2008
Review:
D-Nox’ label Sprout music presents a new 3-track EP from the German duo Hatfield & Beckers. Frank Beckers is, alone and with his partner in crime Christian Wedekind aka D-Nox, one of the biggest producers on the progressive house in the last couple of years. He’s been on the top of the game in the psy-oriented circles since the early Space Safari days and in the last couple of years also in the broader electronic scene, with influences of techno, tech house, minimal and electro house. Leif Hatfield is an old friend of Beckers, and together they had a couple of well-known releases some years ago, under the name Export Audio. Last year we saw them collaborating again, for instance with a track on the D-Nox & Beckers album, as well as an EP on Electro-Lyte records, and now they’re back with another new track on Sprout, a slightly older track, and a remix by Velkro & Ido Ophir.
01. Keep On [128 BPM]
First up is the title-track “Keep On”. It’s a deep, kind of mysterious, semi-laidback tech house tune with some very nice tribal elements, and with Hatfields spoken “Keep On” voice-sample appearing in the background around halfway through. Not exactly made to be played at peak-time, but will certainly appeal for progressive DJ’s looking for something with a tech house/techno edge.
02. Keep On (Velkro & Ido Ophir Remix) [128 BPM]
Velkro & Ido Ophir has been the main act on the last couple of Sprout-release, and well-deserved. The brazilian duo, consisting of Gabe of Wrecked Machines, Brain XL and Growling Machines fame, as well as Marcello VOR from 2Hi has once again joined forces with Israeli Ido Ophir, known from Domestic, and the result is stunning. “Keep On” is given a bit more edge and drive, and the result is a deep, raw tech stormer, packed with energy. I’m pretty sure these guys are well on the way to make it big outside the psychedelic trance scene.
03. Spielen (Tunefish Mix) [128 BPM]
The last track is sort of a bonus – the Tunefish mix of “Spielen”, originally released on Electro-Lyte records last summer. It’s basically a sort of a mix between the older, very popular outdoor-friendly Beckers/Space Safari style with a hint of tech in the low-end, a catchy theme and some tongue-in-cheek German vocals. Certainly not among my favourites from Beckers, and I probably wouldn’t play it myself, but hearing it on a sunny afternoon with a beer in my hand, I wouldn’t deny that you could find me singing along with a smile on my face. Has its charm.
Bottom line:
In short, this is another high quality EP from Sprout. The real gem is of course the massive remix by Velkro & Ido Ophir, but the orginal of “Keep On” and “Spielen” will certainly also be found useful by many DJ’s. If you’re into progressive house with a tech house/techno edge, this is worth checking out.
Favourites:
1, 2 (!!)
Verdict:
8/10
Link:
http://www.sproutmusic.de
no comments yet