Unlike rebels from UR, house-oriented 430 West, once set up by the Burden brothers from Octave One, has focused on soulful and deeper side of the Detroit electronic music. The label’s extensive catalog contains many evergreens, but for me it has been difficult to find real faves among Octave One’s output. With one clear exception – “I Believe”, co-written by Anthony “Shake” Shakir, has been a memorable track, for bright days and early hours at parties when it felt like a light breeze after harder techno beats.
To hear Sandwell District remixing “I Believe” might seem pretty unexpected. Techno masters of the moment have added boom and bass making it harder sounding tech house but still handle the tune with care, maintaining the ambiance and lightness of the original. The track gets quite rough before the fadeout.
On the flip “Daystar” is another Octave One classic and redone by Aril Brikha, now back in the spotlight with a reissue of “Deeparture In Time”. Brikha complements the grooves of the original with deeper bass but remains mostly true to his warm and chord-driven style. Somehow a record that is difficult to miss for any Detroit lover.
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