- Though it sits atop a thick acid groove, there's barely a drop of liquid squelch on Deepchild's Riyadh. Instead, the track is served by rolling, lightly-serrated bass. It's a good thing this foundation is strong, because a bare aesthetic reigns over most of the record, the four remixes included. The Australian's original take is peppered with sprightly plucks, calling to mind "Rej." The similarity is only passing, however, Deepchild shrouding various sections with both shadowy and more vivid snatches of a wordless vocal, and the aforementioned bassline heaving at the centre. The result is a fairly slow-burning groove that'll most likely keep big rooms moving without making them combust.
Deadbeat, a proven performer with dub, samples elements of the original and stretches them out like molasses with the aid of reverb and delay. This version builds to careful-sounding peaks over 11 minutes, Deepchild's plucks sounding only a few times, like lonely bird calls over a deserted landscape. Shifting the focus back to big rooms, Rennie Foster's "Low Box" mix hones the acid groove even further, and offsets it with a heady, chord-laden breakdown. For those turned off by the sparseness of the original, this one might be for you. Or perhaps Derek Marin's version. Here, the beat is a light, tech house-like skip, with elements swaying in and out of focus around it. It's perhaps the most radical of the record's diverse bunch, which seems to contain something for everyone.
Tracklist 01. Riyadh
02. Riyadh (Deadbeat Remix)
03. Riyadh (Rennie Foster Low Box mix)
04. Riyadh (Derek Marin Remix)