Jay Tripwire - 4th Destiny

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  • A lot of tech house these days seems to be released, passed around and played out, but lacks any sort of longevity, relying on regurgitated formula with the same old sounds. Canadian Jay Tripwire, however, always sits left-of-centre, looking for a direction and an angle, bringing solid ideas to life with conviction. Similar to the smooth, over-produced electronic deep house sound championed by the likes of Drumpoet Community or Deep Vibes, Tripwire's sound has that sultry air of sophistication, but brings a bit more raw soul to the plate. Tripwire's previous album, Gemini Soul, featured a handful of dance floor bangers ("Call + Answer," "Denman Place," "Body to Body")—DJ weapons that will still rock any flagging dance floor—and his recent excursions on Tonality Records have further explored his forward-looking dubby and soulful sound. His new offering, 4th Destiny, may not offer the immediacy of those releases, but the pressure is there, albeit in a much darker mood. "Visual Spectrum" aptly opens the release; a bass-heavy brooder, sluggish, dark and reserved in its build. "Save Each Other" continues along a low and dark path with the vocals of Marie Tweek adding a touch of melancholy. It's silky smooth, perhaps more suited to the car stereo on a rainy drive home than the dance floor, but a solid vibe. "Metropolis of Light" and "Visions" continue in this vein. They're expertly produced, spacious, dark and pensive tracks with just enough edge and thump to work a discerning dance floor. The surprise here is "Next Level," which showcases Tripwire's atmospheric chops. Reserved and intelligent Detroit-inspired synths are layered over the ever-changing structure, creating a colourful palette—deep, textured and organic. It's a future vision with a nod to the roots, and it's Tripwire at his best. "Time Is Eternal," meanwhile, features some of Tripwire's signature vibes, sax stabs over that mellow, bumpy bassline. Jacking but dubby dance floor fare, "Matter and Spirit" passes by in a similar manner, with "Essence" drawing further from Detroit with its rough bass, sweeping synths and delicate keys. "Essence" is beautifully balanced and has a good energy about it. Made purely with a dance floor in mind, it will have devastating effect in the hands of the right DJ. "Do Me This Way" is a deep acid-tinged track, with sweeping synths and effects that take it into smooth deep house territory, but it either lacks a punch, or has too much of a punch. The vocals of Alexander East don't quite gel and the six-and-a-half minutes seem to lack conviction. Despite this misstep, though, 4th Destiny is a solid LP, drawn from a darker and techier place than most of Tripwire's releases. It doesn't present the wealth of ideas or reach the highs and lows of 2007's Gemini Soul, but I get the sense that most tracks here will rock Fabric's sound system and my appreciation will grow further in the headphones.
  • Tracklist
      01. Visual Spectrum 02. Save Each Other feat. Marie Tweek 03. Metropolis of Light 04. Visions 05. Next Level 06. Time is Eternal 07. Matter and Spirit 08. Essence 09. Do Me This Way feat. Alexander East (New Dimension mix) 10. Green Ray Vibrations 11. Ascend 12. Forward Matter
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