Speedy J - Intercontinental

One of Plus 8's early classics. 2008 and it still shines on!
It's stuff like this where one of the all time greats, Jochem George Paap, sharpened his skill!
A1, Wicked Saw, is an old school break beat, rave type of a track, with some haunting male vocals making way from the background. The track then ventures into some (back then) typical percussion madness, with first glimpses of a really forceful melody flying in around ninety seconds into the track. The melody is simple, very catchy yet frenetic, making it quite recognizible and my guess is that this one killed dance floors around the time I was a diligent first grader ;-)
Minimal is just that, apart from being simply awesome. Period. It's a tune which steadily pulsates in the 130s BPM range, without any proper alteration, climax, or addition or subtraction of layers. As the title implies, it is minimal, very much so, and despite of that, it sounds way ahead of its time. There are barely any tracks that old which pack so much with so little. If that made any sense.
On the flip side we start with Journey, a very light hearted track, opening up with a positive melody and quickly adding a mellow beat and then some break with samples later on. The melody comes back into the track more emphasized and another playful layer is added about two minutes into the track. This is a really interesting piece of work, which in my ears sounds like something that predates Speedy J's IDM phase on Warp Records, and it also makes me think of Jeff Mills' happy Pacific State Of Mind, where the emphasis is always kept on the vibrant melody! Calm and soothing, more for a fantastic living room experience on a sunday afternoon.
The last track here is Spectrum, which has a superb xylophone like melody thirty seconds into the track and from then on it moves in some even more frolicsome and lively territory, making it a competent contender for the stand out track here. Basically, it's the same couple of melodic segments taking turns, but each of them is so energetic and honest that it's hard to dismiss the overally beuaty Spectrum radiates with.

All in all, not as known and popular as Speedy J's finest work, but let's be honest here: a 1990 12" released on Plus 8 Records Ltd., with Jochem George Paap as the protagonist cannot be bad. True. It isn't, and for fans of the man's work, this is essential!