Release : Christian Smith & John Selway - The Coming Storm
Artist : Christian Smith & John Selway
Album : The Coming Storm
Genre : Electronic
Source : Vinyl
Label : Sino
URL : http://www.technasia.com
Date : 11-09-2007
Encoder : LAME 3.97 / -V2 --vbr-new
Quality : 209kbps 44100 kHz Joint Stereo
Tracks : 9
Time : 55:07 min
Size : 82.84 MB
A1 Helicity 7:51
B1 Walk The Walk 6:36
B2 Slow River 5:36
C1 Full Steam 6:24
D1 Blink Of An Eye 5:47
D2 Cirriforms 4:56
E1 High Season 6:29
F1 Hidden Cities 5:56
F2 Final Approach 5:32
LIMITED EDITION 3x12" PACK. Disc 3 contains 3 bonus tracks.
The first salvo from Christian Smith & John SelwayÆs long awaited debut artist
album exploded onto the scene earlier this summer when just about every DJ from
Carl Cox to Sander Kleinenberg, and Hernan Cattaneo to Armin van Buuren began
playing the ôTransit Timeö single (and it's accompanying Dubfire mix), which
looks set to be one of the biggest underground tunes in Ibiza this year. Not bad
for an opening shot, but thatÆs not the whole story by a long way. Smith &
Selway have utilized a much more expansive musical palette in the creation of
this album, drawing from years of studio and DJing experience to create a highly
impressive, varied yet cohesive body of work.
After working together on over 20 records and over 30 remixes, John and I
decided it was finally time to deliver a proper album. This is not just some
double-pack with a few tracks put together, but a well thought out concept
combining minimal, melodic, tech house, electro and downtempo tracks as well.ö û
Christian Smith. It's an album packed full of magical moments, as the sonic
journey ebbs and flows. Beginning with the teasing, controlled energy rush of
Illusion, awash with subtle building harmonies, dropping into the bubbling
cauldron of twisted electronics that is Helicity, before easing back into the
layered ambient soundscape intro of Slow River, as it unfolds into a masterful
example of how beautiful, expressive, and emotional techno can be. Hidden
Cities pushes any stragglers firmly back onto the dancefloor with itÆs
intricately woven rhythmic elements and hypnotic synth stabs, as the huge wave
of energy that is ôThe Coming Stormö breaks through hurling electrostatic shards
of razor sharp precision percussion in a veritable downpour, as a dirty filthy
gorgeous synth bassline rises up from the depths. There is no let up from here,
as the storm surge blasts through the instantly recognizable, ôWalk The Walkö
(which first appeared on Christian Smith's much praised Ekspozicija 05 : Tronic
Treatment mix compilation for Explicit Music last year), and the throbbing
aggression and mutant breakdowns of Full Steam, before Smith & Selway shift
the musical map with the electro styling of Cirriforms, and expand on the
theme with the hyperactive metronomic cyberdelic deep space grooves of Blink Of
An Eye. From here, it's an intense trip through the heavyweight bass en beats
and white noise of Silver Bullet, and the bubbling groove of High Season,
before the epic genius of Transit Time climaxes, and leads to the triumphant
symphonic finale of "Final Approach". As a body of music this album is quite
simply stunning. If techno has a soul, then itÆs surely alive and kicking and
proudly on display throughout this glorious ride through the passionate,
creative mindset of Christian Smith & John Selway. ôWe recorded the album in
bits and pieces over a fairly long period of time, working studio time into our
schedules when we could, producing either at my places in NYC and Berlin, or at
Christian's in Barcelona, whenever we could. We started to think about doing
this project a few years ago, and the process has spanned a time of significant
changes of direction in the electronic dance world. It's been a case of always
listening, absorbing, learning. The music on our first proper album is an honest
and accurate reflection of our combined influences from recent years up to the
moment. We've been known for dancefloor storming techno power in the past, and
we certainly haven't left that behind to jump on any bandwagons, but we've
definitely found a more polished and refined method. We set out to create a
collection of musical techno, lending itself equally to a DJ's set and a
listener's ear, and I think weave achieved that by bringing our individual
tastes and influences to the album equally. All our creative decisions are
mutually agreed upon and as we follow our sort of architectural process of
building tracks, it inevitably leads to a stylistic outcome that is
unquestionably the sound of Smith & Selway.ö û John Selway. Christian Smith &
John Selway began their long-time studio partnership in the early 90's after
meeting at a rave in Washington, DC. Starting with a remix for Deep Dish's
Yoshitoshi label and a few other unreleased projects, it wasn't until the late
90's that they fully hit their stride and began their rise to prominence in the
techno world. In 1997, releases on Rotation, Primate, and ChristianÆs Tronic
label placed them firmly on the global techno map as a powerful production team
with a unique style. In 1999, they released "Move!" on Carl Cox's Intec Records.
Over 20,000 copies have been sold to this date, making "Move!" arguably one of
the first, and biggest, crossover techno hits. DJs ranging from Paul van Dyk,
Sasha, Danny Tenaglia, Deep Dish, to Surgeon and Jeff Mills all played "Move!"
relentlessly in their sets and the track was licensed to a great number of mix
CD compilations worldwide. Smith & Selway (according to DJ Magazine) had put the
funk back into techno. Since then Smith & Selway have produced over 30 top
quality original releases. They have remixed multiple artists such as Slam, Adam
Beyer, Speedy J, Danny Tenaglia, and even legendary rock band Queen. An
open-minded approach to dance music has allowed them to progress successfully
and build busy individual DJ careers aswell as demand for their productions. In
the summer of 2006, they made their debut live performance together on a 15,000+
capacity mainstage along with Prodigy, at the prestigious Monegros Festival in
Spain. More live dates will follow as they tour to promote their album. This an
LP that takes the bull by its horns and shows exactly why the diverse and
experimental nature of the current world techno scene makes it the most exciting
electronic music genre right now. The LP title track æComing StormÆ, has been
licensed to Dave ClarkeÆs forthcoming æI Love TechnoÆ compilation, which somehow
seems rather apt, coming from one of the best techno artist albums of 2007.
www.myspace.com/smithandselway