Jas Van Houten - Loco Love
Lange Recordings
Catalogue Number: Lange002
A: Extended mix
B: Firewall remix
Loco Love is the second release from the promising Lange Recordings label, no prizes
for guessing who is behind the imprint and the kind of sound that is to feature on it.
The label was originally established with a view to showcasing Lange tracks, however,
other artists will be featured. Enter, Jas Van Houten which is the alter-ego of European
producer Jas Van Oosterhout. One thing you can always rely on with producers from the
low-countries is that uplifting trance comes as standard, with a money back guarantee.
There is no exception to the rule here, whether you head straight for the Firewall
mix or the extended, you won’t be disappointed. You may also be familiar with the name
Jas Van Houten from tracks such as Heaven's Gate.
Starting with the a-side which is the tougher of the two mixes, pounding beats and an
equally as chunky bassline dominate the early stages of this one. It’s not long until
they are joined by spiky synth stabs which are full of body. There’s a real emphasis on
a full and meaty sound throughout the duration here. The extended mix or really starts
to shine however when we reach the break, it’s a break of sorts because it’s short,
sweet and straight to the point. An infectious main riff begins to make it’s presence
as we bounce back towards the drop of the kick drum, and boy does this have a spring
in its step. There is no question that this will cause serious devastation on the
dance-floor, happy, bright and uplifting this is an utterly encapsulating slice of
quality instrumental trance.
Flipping over onto the b-side and we have the big name pulling, Firewall remix. It’s
fair to say that when Lange goes under the Firewall guise there is a particular ‘sound’
in production that instantly tells you its Firewall, this is quite evident here. It’s
by no means a bad thing I might add, consistency in production is such a rare quality
these days it’s nice to be able to trust a producer as much as people do Lange. This
particular remix follows a very similar line to the extended mix, but a touch calmer.
A deep bass and kick open proceedings, whilst intricate percussion falls into place as
we build. A secondary more powerful layer of bass joins the introduction and a much
more powerful sound begins to ensue. Where the extended mix lacked strings and a warm
pad so typical of the trance sound, the Firewall remix in a way attempts to fill in the
blanks, whilst keeping what makes the extended so special. A lengthier breakdown is the
main area of change, whilst the riff that sails into shore is ultimately as infectious
and tenacious as on the a-side. At the end of the day it will come down to personal
preference as to which to play out, my weapon of choice is definitely the extended mix
for that added bounce.
In summary, Lange recordings number two is well worth making a space for in any trance
DJ’s record box and the name Jas Van Oosterhout is back and definitely one worth keeping
an eye out for if future productions are going to be as good as this one.
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Review by Xalno
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