The team behind NuKreative, Danny Bonnici and Jamesen Re, are no strangers when it comes to engineering excellence.
Last year they released their debut EP on Balance Music, an exquisite slice of deep progressive that showcased the duo’s decades of combined production skills. For their debut outing on Dawn till Dusk the experienced producers deliver two originals of vintage progressive that will linger long after the last melody fades away. It comes complete with a remix from man-of-the-moment Powel who provides a surprisingly upbeat version. And finally, the package is rounded out with delicious downtempo version from NuKreative themselves.
With warm beats and sincere disposition, ‘Beyond the Sun’ offers a glimmer of hope in testing times. The solid bass holds a watch over washes of synths and instruments combining to deliver a leitmotif that is almost filled with, dare we say it, optimism for humanity. This is one for the sunnier dancefloors.
Powel’s remix of ‘Beyond the Sun’ is an exercise in illuminating the best qualities of a song. The bass is transformed into a care-free groove that happily trots alongside the bright strings and crisp beats. The euphoria keeps building across the track, seamlessly flowing into a breakdown that gently snaps you out of the trance once it all kicks back in. Powel was definitely in a good space when he entered his studio to complete this remix.
The mysterious ‘Make Up Your Mind’ featuring Britta B will entrance any dancefloor. Beautiful sitars and other percussive effects drip through what sounds like cracks formed over millennia in undiscovered caves. As the production sucks you in, there is a distinct feeling of being lost. But as the message in the breakdown reminds us, this is all a frame of mind. We have the choice to adjust our individual filters to a setting marked ‘positivity’. However, losing yourself in this track is beyond a choice, its a given.
On the Spoken Word Version, NuKreative flexes their engineering expertise with an elegant downtempo workout that is restrained yet highly effective. The synths and keyboard elements shimmer bright, creating an almost eerie effect once the reversed vocal appears. Like a good novel you can’t wait to finish, this mix is dipped in a dense air of mystery.
Tracklisting:
1. Beyond the Sun (Original mix)
2. Beyond the Sun (Powel remix)
3. Make up your Mind (Original mix)
4. Make up your Mind (Broken word version)