TG - Feign EP

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  • It's hard to underestimate the year that Tim Green had in 2008: His single for Trapez, "Mr Dry" was a huge hit, his remix of Steve Lawler's "21st Century Ketchup" was the pick of the litter and he even started working behind the scenes with Lee Burridge on some material that is sure to see the light of day sooner rather than later. Green capped off the year, however, in a low-key fashion, with an EP on the fledgling Caravan imprint. Caravan has primarily been the home to Julian Smith's October alias thus far, showcasing his melodic tech house sound and Green's contribution falls directly in line with that style. "Feign" has plenty of melody in its percussion and plenty of melody elsewhere too. In fact, at times, it's almost too much to handle. Green's obviously a talented producer, but on this track he mistakes complexity for quality. It's a trap that Smith also falls into often. Too much attention here is paid to the arrangement, at the expense of drum programming. The beats are rounded off, bulbous rather than hard-edged, blunting their impact—especially the comically undercooked hit that appears in the bridge. Markus Guentner drops by for a rework, and strips things back to focus almost exclusively on the elastic synth that features in the original. Guentner is equally as talented, which is why it's surprising that this mix doesn't quite work either: The melody isn't all that engaging, and neither is Guentner's unadventurous drum programming whose sole moment of interest stems from a slight stutter somewhere around the four minute mark. Luckily, Green original "Rene" saves the day. It's mildly quirky in the same way that the best Caravan material is, taking more than two minutes to properly begin. On "Rene," however, the wandering is purposeful, allowing Green to stretch out initially confusing themes until they slot neatly into place.
  • Tracklist
      1 Feign 2 Feign (Markus Guentner Rework) 3 Rene
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