Deetron - Miss Suave

I'm glad in a way that I totally missed the boat when it comes to this track. I don't really go to parties where Intec records are played, or know anyone that would go within a hundred miles of anything that's been touched by Carl Cox or his "funky techno" (*spits*) cronies. Neither would I expect someone like DJ Bone - who's consistently disappointed and totally failed to live up to the hype on the (several) occasions I've heard him DJ - to play a track that'd have me clamouring for someone to help me identify it.

So, it seems "Miss Suave" was a big tune in 2004. I didn't hear it until nearly 2 years after the event, in a live mp3 set from the aforementioned Bone. Needless to say it was the highlight of the set. It's not anything original; nothing I've heard from Deetron ever has been really, although I do consider him to be at the better end of the whole tired funky/tribal techno bla bla bla brigade. What it is though, is an utterly joyous piece of Detroit inspired techno, with just that blend of toughness and melody that is so often reserved for those born and raised in the 313 area. Drum machine, synth and strings, the basic ingredients come together so well on this track. A great lead line is matched a couple of octaves down by a nice bassline with just a hint of analogue stickiness. We'll forgive the unimaginative hi-hat, ride and shuffly shaker sounds, after all we're not playing whole sets of this stuff are we....ARE WE Carl? Oops. Well, as I was saying...half way through the track we get a wicked (if formulaic) breakdown, with the percussion coming back in piece by piece, as the synth line bubbles along and strings come swooping up. Bang, we're off again and it's a rare hands-in-the-air moment. Even those too po-faced to let up for 4 minutes and wiggle will at least have a smile on their face.

So yeah, I'm glad I missed the boat on this one, that I haven't heard it played 5 times a night for months on end – glad I don't even end up in the places where that'd happen....and glad that Intec suffered a lapse of their usual judgement and let this rather splendid track out of the bag.

For an example of exactly why hearing something decent from this sub-set of producer/label is an exception – turn the record over and discover "Don't You Know Why?". Yes, I do know why – this sort of generic, played out garbage is why.

Deetron's Ms. Suave screams "anthem!", which may or may not be a good thing. The record works mainly during the peak hours as a party track, and is reminiscent of Samuel Session's "Merengue." To be fair, the melody is well crafted, and the bassline is one of the richest and warmest in recent memory. The flip is a tough tech-tool update on Don't You Know Why; though it's aggressive, it drags on after a bit.

Miss Suave is future classic. Everybody is dropping this track right now. I really like this track. The drums are simple and driving, they just keep going and going. The melody gets stuck in your head very easily. Another solid intec release.