[i:Vibes] Stephen J Kroos E.P. - Phantazmz/Optimistick [Anjunabeats]

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Stephen J Kroos E.P. - Phantazmz/Optimistick [Anjunabeats]

11:31 - February 19, 2004

by Watts

Anjunabeat's latest offering is an E.P. consisting of 2 tracks by Stephen J Kroos. Marco V and Jon O'Bir have added these to their playlists already. So things are looking promising for Anjunabeats yet again...

The first thing you will notice about these two new tracks is that they are tougher than what Anjunabeats has offered previously. The two tracks that make up this E.P. are called 'Phantazmz', which is on the A side and 'Optimistick', which comes in on the B side of the vinyl. The Stephen J Kroos E.P....

:: Stephen J Kroos E.P. - Phantazmz / Optimistick
:: Anjunabeats Promo
:: ANJ024

A: Phantazmz
The beginning section of this track is very percussive, with the beat being introduced a few bars after the percussion kicks off. More hi-hats are added to build this percussive medley up even further - there is also your standard 'techno hi-hat' every half beat which makes an appearance here and there. A bassline is then brought in - its a very nice bass instrument, very deep and it bobs along in a neat little ryhthm of its own. The section leading up to the breakdown is used to introduce and develop two instruments that both have a very 'sfx' type of quality to their sound and which both play their own simple little melody. The breakdown itself is very quiet and ambient, with only the two instruments taking it in turns to play out their own piece. The final section here is an extended version of what preceded the breakdown, but with some extra percussive splashes to develop the sound.

B: Optimistick
This track begins with a long intro section. It is a mix of ambience, sfx, drums and chilled breakbeat. From this intro, a trancey synth is developed and used to bring in a few stabs of another more highly pitched synth which in turn is the cue for the kick and bass to start rolling. The bassline is a standard off-beat soft sounding affair, which is complimented, as always in these situations, by the kick - which is nice and punchy. A nice sounding, highly pitched and light synth plays a simple melody of three notes over and over, with a little flurry of extra notes every now and again. A good thing about 'Optimistick' is that it tries very hard to keep your interest. For example, the breakdown follows next, but it is used to introduce a trancey synth playing its own melody and then this leads to the introduction of a rather deep and coarse synth which plays along with the existing bass and beat once the track drops back in. The final section consists of the light synth and the new trancey synth playing their respective melodies. These are gradually phased out and other layers begin to follow as the end of the track is reached.

Conclusion:
A very nice pair of tracks here. 'Phantazmz' is a mix between chunky sounding techno and progressive, while 'Optimistick' takes a more tech trance route. Nicely diverse, these two very well produced tracks help keep Anjunabeats release profile nice and varied. Good stuff!