2020 Soundsystem - Tape (Remixes)

  • Share
  • 2020 Visions in-house production outfit Ralph Lawson, Dubble D and Silver City seem to have installed a conveyor belt in Leeds HQ of late, churning out many of their own cuts as well as the likes of Spirit Catcher and Phonogenic. A label with a penchant for everything from jackin' house to, more recently, recent electro tinged stuff, the longevity of 2020 Visions is down to it being clued-up on changing trends in house music. For these 'Tape' remixes, 2020 employ help from Burnski and Cologne boys Dirt Crew, as Lawson & Co aim for another slant on the 80's retro thang which their recent 'No Order' album hinted at. First up are 2020 Soundsystem themselves, offering up a DJ-friendly 12” edit of the Greg Wilson-inspired 'Tape'. The vibe here is discotheque electrohouse with deft synth touches and a lazy, low-slung bass, leaving you with visions of a giant mirrorball spinning overhead in an afterhours joint. This is an amicable track that eases you into its groove, though it doesn’t alter much throughout, but why bother when it's this glamorous - New York, New York baby! On the other side, Burnski from Infant Records offer a dark, jaded piece of house a la Terry Farley's Active Soul remix. The pleasing synths of the original are here only a faint echo of the original – this goes deeper and bleaker, and it could well be too shady for the pleasant folk down at your local. But hey, if the freaks are out, it may just be the tonic. The Dirt Crew of James Flavour and Break 3000 strip down the original like two dodgy mechanics with a result very similar to their 'Largo' sound. The unimaginative 'Dub' could well be mistaken for the 'Main mix' though - apart from the fact that the latter is only available digitally, there's not a lot to separate them. Hmm. Teutonic ravey electrohouse indeed. Out of this quartet, the original shines the brightest, despite a decent offering from Burnski. The hooky synths and b-line are hard to resist on both, but the show is almost spoilt by the mechanics from Cologne, who try too hard to fiddle with the engine.
RA