- If you missed the first single on Freund der Familie’s new label of the same name, don't sleep on the second. Like Mojuba, FDF is starting to become a seriously listenable and highly collectable imprint. And while Sark may not reach the heights of FDF's debut, this second instalment comes pretty close, packing in plenty of smooth deepness into two widely varied sides.
As on the previous outing, the A-side comes courtesy of Klaus Rakete and Mirko Hunger in their Freund der Familie guise. This time, however, they've traded in the ominously brooding and glacial dub step/dub techno sound for ethereal dub house. Poised somewhere on the edge of sleep, 'Sark' drifts between an almost inaudible heartbeat bass and a trickling brook of percussive flutters, never quite awakening. The echoing chords and hiss that work the spaces are reminiscent of Rhythm and Sound, but the outcome is a bodiless drift into tranquillity rather than dancefloor mayhem. For home listening it’s a treat, but DJs will still find it useful for bridging sets or using it as a tool.
The flipside remix comes from little known Taron-Trekka, last seen earlier this year on the Brut! label. With so few sounds to work with, it's no surprise to hear them taking a similar pace and kick drum—and maintaining the original's dreamy ebb and flow. The mix, however, is far more bright-light and awake, no doubt due to the fact that the duo layer on new sounds like a run of twinkling cocktail glass piano licks. Coupled with a slow-building percussive swagger, this track eventually reveals itself as a suave and slow deep house hit. Simple but elegant sounds on both sides of limited—and numbered—white vinyl. Need I say more?
TracklistA1 Sark
B1 Sark (Taron-Trekka Remix)