I've always felt that tech house can be an underrated genre and is usually overshadowed by the explosion of trap over the past few years. We all love trap, but don't you ever want to dance to something a little deeper (and darker)? But both techno and tech house seem to be to be making a comeback in electronic music and we're glad to hear it. Sometimes called the "fresh faced prince" of techno in the emerging NYC scene Total Fitness AKA Lee Lawrence is bringing something back in our world and maybe it's those dark vibes that New York is known for.
Released on his new Brooklyn-based Safer At Night label, and Brooklyn is currently the NYC epicenter for these sorts of projects, a Garden of Eden if you will. His Eden Remixes EP is an offshoot of his latest Halls of Eden, and contains by Cranks and Dubspeeka of Adam Beyer's Drumcode imprint. It'd definitely club music, but each artist's individual touch adds enough murky elements to give it depth. It's an EP for those who come alive at night and feel most comfortable in that darkness.
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The EP begins with Dubspeeka's remix of "Moments Us," is the opener and within seconds of the intro I feel myself right there in the pitch black, moving to a beat that rolls on and on. A menacing bass line with brilliant synth twinkles only add to the deep club feels on the EP.
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The second remix by Cranks "Halls of Eden" continues our descent into the club underworld, the beat and distorted synths bringing our experience into a fever pitch of madness. It rises up to the point where I can feel myself waving my arms around in slow motion while locked inside of myself.
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The remixes EP ends with Lee's re-work of his own track "Eden At Night," which is an appropriate end to our view into the techno-based underworld. It resounds with one single question, "Have we gone too far?" in reverb and in whispers. But I think that we already know the answer and will continue to delve deeper.
