- Finishing 2010 in extremely strong fashion with Mark Henning's Lucky J EPs, Cityfox's inaugural release of the year welcomes label newcomer Inxec into their urban vermin embrace. And while it's all very polished stuff from a producer who clearly isn't short of a good ear and a few handfuls of talent, it doesn't quite live up to the high standards the label has set itself over the past few releases, with one rather major exception.
"Angel" kicks us off with swirly pads and wistful vocal moans whirl tightly round a proudly dominant bassline, which all sounds pretty attractive. And attractive it is, but you can't help but feel that it's been done slightly better many, many times before. Dyed Soundorom to the rescue? Not exactly. Again, it's decent, and you can see it working pretty darn well slotted into many a rolling tech-house set, but it feels like the French producer is playing it a little too safe.
On the flip there are there are some hauntingly beautiful sounds—both from the lighter and darker ends of the spectrum—with "Come On." The bassline's lively wobble will probably be enough for some to cling to on its own. But it's the final track that completely and undeniably saves the EP. Where the others play it safe, "Nightingale" seemingly throws caution to the wind and establishes itself as the stand out track as a result; frenetically paced and deliciously dark, it supports the notion that Inxec is at his best when striving to be a trend-setter rather than simply following the crowd.
Tracklist A1 Angel
A2 Angel (Dyed Soundorom Remix)
B1 Come On!!
B2 Nightingale