- Although it gets underway with a daring jungle vibe and a customary Robert Babicz drum break, "Astor" is a laid back affair. As a result, the track is a far cry from much of Babicz's 808-centric techno. A string section and a staggered female vocal trade blows for the track's eight minutes, while a subtle but commanding synth loop resounds from start to finish. At the halfway point, the vocals take centre stage, ultimately creating more clutter than Babicz may have intended.
Nevertheless, the final half, complete with a more prominent string section and xylophone touch, outshines the first. The combination of spacey strings and percussion that fails to jump out of the box renders the track as a handy 7:00 AM backroom tool, but not much else. While certainly no return to 2008's droning "Dark Flower" and "Don't Look Back," "Astor" stands as a solid effort from the steadfast producer.
Remix-wise, Gui Boratto once again finds himself in control of a Babicz cut, this time choosing to remove most of the original's string and vocal attachment. Shu-ri-kan brings the digital lounge vibe, opting to inject some keys, and cut up the vocal, before wrapping it up with a drifting drum loop and glitch-ridden pad breakdown. Both remixes remain systematically true to the original and, as a result, happily succeed in introducing some darkness to a fairly restrained track. Glimpse wraps things up with a tribal, bass heavy rework, eliminating the vocals altogether.
TracklistA1 Astor
A2 Astor (Gui Boratto Remix)
B1 Astor (Shur-i-kan Remix)
B2 Astor (Glimpse Remix)