Stelios Vassiloudis // Reaching Remixes [Bedrock]

Stelios’ last release, The Z, was one of those moments that walked the tightrope between tranquility and fortitude, an ideal entree for the album that followed. Reaching is the first single to arrive since the 2CD extravaganza of It Is What It Is was released in the latter part of 2011. Since then, it seems the tightrope has grown somewhat mossy and slippery as Stelios’ Reaching remixes fail to raise the heartbeat. Eleven minutes of gradual tease and muted synths lead to nothing in particular, placid progressive for the man about house.

The dub version is much more wiggly with every element getting a chance to breathe. The build to track’s midpoint delivers with a chord progression that flourishes into the breakdown. I find myself still wishing for a touch more grit and a swift navigate to the Samuel L Session remixes reaps dividends. A cavernous and deeply resonating bass kick runs through both remixes causing your shoulders to rock and sway over a sharp six and a half minutes each. It seems that the  titles of each mix seem to correspond to how sharply each track builds, the Deep mix opting for subtle dubby synths while the Jackin’ mix is distinctly more staccato and restrained. The end result is two mixes that growl with menace which grow into layered chord stabs, the Deep mix edging it in a head to head thanks to it expanding those stabs just that little bit more.

Release Date: Out Now
Words: fourfourfun