LOWE - A 1000 miles
Surely everyone will ascribe his/her own meaning to the material presented, still what we may definitely hear is six various versions of the title track that have one substantial thing in common. Namely, they have every chance of winning the dance floors by means of successful combination of lyricism and dynamics as well as catchy melodies that make them real club hits-to-be.
„A 1000 miles Radio version” is lively, sexy and tuneful, featuring magnetic guitars and Leo's clear, sensual voice.
It's also worth mentioning here about the video clip promoting the piece: the shots are kept in black-cream coloring, very stylish, atmospheric and elegant, focusing on the eyes... and I assure you - these are beautiful.. :-)
The remix of Viktor Ginner, the musician and the producer, known, for example, of the project Rupesh Cartel, is one of those evoking unequivocal club - strobes – body movement associations.
It's very energetic, captivating and stimulating. Probably it's partly thanks to speeding the original version and typically 'club' sonic background.
Håkan Lidbo's version is far less 'fluent', but in turn it makes good use of fantastic beat and extremely vivid dynamics. It sounds slightly harsher and electronic than the remaining pieces and Leo's voice is given a kinda 'dirtier' quality which gives interesting, a bit irregular effect. It may make you think of American parade mini-skirted girls, but all in all the mix is more than fine and I chose it as my personal fave.
Retro Minimal Version - the version of already popular, great band Akanoid – includes reverberations, balanced speed and processed sound. Somewhere in the middle the melody speeds up adding to the harsher character of the piece.
Rock version, as the name suggests, includes a fair dose of such elements which build up a bit old-fashioned, rock atmosphere. Still, as it often happens with such spices as rampaging guitars – the track gains rapacious and hard-hitting quality.
Though there are two forces that mix here – grunge and hard rock – the whole is not tiresome. On the contrary: it has rock flavour that tastes good and surely marks a new music trait as far as Lowe is concerned. After all, so far the trio has been bringing gentle rather than smashing soundscapes to mind.
Nautical Miles Mix – sounds a bit 'muffled' and quite cold: vocalic transformations and tricky passages make the track balanced and rather moderate.
Generally speaking, „A 1000 miles” is a release suitable for the box of the DJ who is planning a high class dance floor drill: interesting arrangements plus stunning voice of Leo stand for unquestionable advantages of the album, while brisk, appealing melodies make it a tasty treat for any party.
The full album „Kino International” will be out on 9th June 2008.
