December 2016 has brought us remixes of two true Estonian drum & bass classics originally written by Dzheimz & Ninja, both released as part of their album 'Newdancebeat' sixteen years ago in 2000.
When 'Karjala' came out back in the day it created substantial waves in the Estonian underground scene and has since become a true d&b classic in the Estonian scene. It is only fitting that now, in 2016, one of the more interesting current Estonian drum&bass outfits - HeadRead, with Planeet and Slammin behind this duo - were asked to remix this beauty. A daunting task indeed, but the boys did not flinch. They went and produced a beast of a remix that not only stays true to the original tune's ethos, but also revamps it to current drum & bass standards, both sonically and creatively. What's truly interesting is that both the 'Karjala' original and the remix - Karjala is also the name of a barren and icy region that lies between Finland and Russia - precisely encapsulate this landscape - the cold, ominous stabs motifs and pulsating midrange synths vibe throughout the tune in perfect harmony with the weighty sub-bass and crisp drum engineering - this is polar night rave magic!
The flipside takes a different approach from the icy soundscapes of 'Karjala', with Planeet (one half of HeadRead) channeling late 90's and early 00's Ed Rush & Optical influenced techstep to create a monster remix of 'Varta'. The track opens up with a build-up combination of drum percussion and electronic effects, creating a cinematic sci-fi atmosphere - picture a spaceship crash-landing on a hostile alien planet. This leads up to the drop which takes off in a spectacular manner - the bassline carries the track forward with pure energy and the meticulously produced drums provide a solid backbone to create the texture for the dancefloor banger it is. Again, the track's name 'Varta' (if you don't know, look it up!) perfectly encompasses the music - the midrange and atmo pad build-ups that are rising throughout the track, created through brilliant sound design elements, scream 'release, restart, recharge'!
The exclusive limited 12" dropped on 17 December 2016, with the digital release available throughout the following shops from 23 December 2016. Don't sleep and start the New Year's celebrations early with these two drum & bass heavyweight remixes!
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