Krüger & Coyle - Randy Expander

Oh Yeah !! This album are already on of my evergreens.. Anyway, about track 6 (Hatz Are Turning) -Its not a Pink Floyd track, but Midnight Oil's "Beds Are Burning" that have been bootlegged by SBK and Greg Lunar.. -Some like it, some dont (as always). Im deffinetly one of those that do like it :D Especially the version they have been playing in their livesets around the world during the summer of 04, a version where they kept the vocals ( "How do we sleep while our beds are burning" etc. )

A+

House music with a twist…

Sebastian Krüger shouldn’t need much introduction… He’s the very productive German progressive trance producer behind critically acclaimed acts such as Tarsis, SBK and Disco Slickers. Greg Coyle is the man behind London Sewer Tour, and whilst he was A&R @ Transient, he conceived the Mashed Mellow Grooves series… So it’s a couple of heavy-weights releasing their much delayed debut album on Swedish proggy psy-house label ACDC… Let’s see what they’ve got in stock for us…

Let me take you thru the tracks…

#01: A phat, crispy house groove fills the sound spectre on this track… And after a couple of minutes you know just what to expect from this album… A rich, tribal-like bassline alongside an impressive percussion range – and it’s just sounds so damn hypnotizing… Remember that 2001 Bus-track by Guss Till called ‘Straylight Dub’? That track incorporated the sound of vocalist Cozzie having multiple orgasms – and on ‘Butz & Slutz’ K&C incorporates a similar effect… Some horny girl is having her way with either herself or some lucky bastard… Damn, this track rules! Sluts - shake those butts! =D

#02: “On a hot summer night...” K&C venture a bit deeper now, and this has a slightly more corrosive edge… It’s still as bouncy and groovy as ever though… Multi-layered percussion, subtle synths, dreamy lyrics and well-placed twisted bits and pieces… Well-polished and as tasty as ever… Autumn is already upon us, but with tunes like this, memories of the sun clad beaches will fade much slower… Nice track!

#03: Time to dig even deeper now… The original version of this track was released on ACDC in 2003 and remixed by Marc O’Tool… I’ve never heard it, but I can tell you that this ‘Randy Expander Mix’ is a HUUUGE track… You better have some decent sound equipment or proper headphones when playing this ‘cause it’s nothing less than massive… A hard-hitting bassline accompanied by one of the phattest grooves I’ve heard since FREq’s ‘Strange Attractors’ album… The native chanting and the strident melody just add to the overall feeling of joy when listening to this bombshell of a track! Amazing track!

#04: Space-funk!... This is a spacier, techier approach towards psyhouse… The crunchy house-bottom as the basis structure and floating atmospheric pads to set the right mood… More tribal percussion and enthusiastic voice samples repeating “…ecstatic…” And yeah, ecstatic is a good word to describe this tune… Rich, fun and euphoric… I like it, but there are parts that are just a little too Ministry-Of-Sound’esque for my taste… Decent track!

#05: Kick-ass! That horny girl from track #1 is back – and she’s brought a shitload of drums and percussion with her… And an archetypical house-bass… This track was already released on an Automatic Records 12”, so perhaps you know it already… This is pretty straightforward progressive beach house trance… I like the naïve melody that carries this track, but other than that, this is too clubby for me… Decent track!

#06: K&C venture off the beaten club-pad into electro-clash territory, on this strange little tune… They are definitely narrowing their appeal now – which is a good thing I think – this track incorporates unimaginable samples… Like a well-known, catchy pop-guitar bridge (Pink Floyd?)… Interesting track!

#07: So, when was the last time you heard a Kim Wilde sample in a progressive trance track? “Friday night and everyone’s moving…” … Or how about some elephantastic, trance-inducing synth-lines? Or a children’s choir? Sounds bizarre, but it works! This was also released as a 12” by Automatic Records in 2003, so there’s a chance you’ve heard it… This is the ‘Umpa Mix’ though… Whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean… I don’t know, but I do know that this oddball track is very tasty! Fums up!

#08: Along with ‘Fit Bint Valley’, this track was released as the 12” forerunner of this album… And this is a great representation for the overall sound of the album… Funky, slamming, groovy, funky, shake-your-ass proggy trance – served on an Ibiza beach with a wedge of psy… Perfect for dancing, and perfect for home listening… Great stuff!

#09: “Go ahead George, light it up!” … This is the K&C remix of Saiko Pod’s classic ‘Magnetic Force’…Maaaagnetic Foooooooorce! (Damn, I wish they’d kept the voice sample…but sadly, they didn’t…) This re-worked version is less progressive than the original, but easily as funky… Beach-house grooves with an epic, uplifting nature… I like the original better though! Ok track!

#10: And here at the end off all things – it’s time for a spliff! This is a deeeeep, parts dubby, parts tribal little house number… Percussion based and with long drifting pads in the background… Good, but not great… Puff-puff-giiive!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… IMO 2004 has been the best year for progressive trance… Ever! I mean, with amazing albums from Son Kite, Kooler, FREq, Buzzmonx, Etic, Atmos and now Krüger & Coyle, there is now end to the joy I’ve felt with this proggy gems… And yes, this is another really, really nice progressive psy-house album…

Take the best from FREq – mait it with Son Kite – and have it fool around with Buzzmonx and Kooler… And you’re left with Randy Expander… Not quite psy – not quite house… A bastard child somewhere in between…

Despite a couple of not-so-great track, the good tracks on here really are the crème de la crème of psychoactive progressive trance… I don’t really like the cover-art – and vinyl-junkies would probably complain about half the tracks already being released… But for CD-only-people like me, this is a welcomed chance to own them all on one CD…

As with most of the above mentioned albums, purists should be alert – this will definitely not fly with the most hardened psy-heads or isra-addicts… But for fans of genre-bending, cross-over, high quality music, I will not hesitate to recommend this!

Favourites: 1(!!), 2, 3(!!), 7(!), 8