[i:Vibes] John Askew - Lower The Tone [Discover]

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John Askew - Lower The Tone [Discover]

22:12 - November 24, 2005

by Watts

John Askew has pulled out all the stops and gone for something different with his debut album. Three unique CDs are on offer here so read on to find out what they're all about...

John Askew has been wowing crowds for some time now, having played in some of the worlds biggest clubs and festivals he has firmly established his name and passion for energetic, driving club music. His debut album is called 'Lower The Tone' and features an unmixed compilation of his productions, a live set recorded at The Gallery and a bizarre Bonus CD filled with some abstract material so you can while away those afterparty hours.

:: John Askew - Lower The Tone
:: Discover

CD1 - The Singles

Tracklisting
01) Mood Swing
02) The Door
03) New Dimension
04) Nail Gun
05) Blackout
06) Fuck Private Ryan (We're Dancing)
07) All Or Nothing
08) Skylab
09) Vellum

The concept of this first CD is simple. Its an unmixed compilation of Askew's work, showcasing what hes done but also allowing the DJs out there to throw this CD into their CDJs and enjoy mixing them as well as listening to them. All of the productions run in a similar vein. They're all fuelled by strong and punchy beats and usually feature strong and energetic driving basslines. There are plenty of tracks with nice trancey bits and smooth, ambient breaks - this contrasts nicely with the more tougher and acidic tracks that John has included. The tracks are selected nicely with a good range of styles covered within their overall genre. Theres also some rather interesting stuff in the form of track 6, which is kind of clubby and funky - a refreshing change.

CD2 - "Live As Fucking Fuck" @ The Gallery

Tracklisting
01) Arc In The Sky - Kissed (Original Mix) [Discover Dark]
02) Apogee - Tribal Affair (Apogee Mix) [Armada]
03) Askew & O'Callaghan - Game Over (Version 1) [Discover]
04) Angelstyle - Oceancream [Elevation]
05) Greg Downey - Shaker [Discover]
06) Fred Baker & Vincent Gorczak - La Parts des Agnes (Siberian Sun Mix) [Armada]
07) Askew & Hardwick - Slaves To The Machine [Discover Dark]
08) Greg Downey - KIA [Discover Dark]
09) John O'Callaghan - Chameleon (Blue Mix) [Discover]
10) Sensorica - Equilibrium (Askew Edit) [Discover Dark]
11) Alex Morph - New Harvest (New Club Mix) [Fenology]
12) Stoneface & Terminal - Miami (Long Mix)
13) Kuffdam & Plant - Summer Dream (Stoneface & terminal Mix) [Monster]

CD2 is a set that was recorded live, complete with crowd noise, that John Askew played at The Gallery back in August which sports a rather tasty looking tracklisting. As the man himself put it, "I wanted to include a DJ mix, but I am personally not a fan of these bland computer generated ones and wanted to give my fans more of a "dirty mix tape" vibe. There is loads of shit we could have done to the recording to make it sound better but that goes against what I was trying to achieve...". It definitely has that loud and booming 'live' sound and the crowd/general club noises add their own extra bit of magic. The tracklisting, rather unsurprisingly, consists mostly of productions from Askew himself, his cohorts or his Discover label. Again this CD is a blend of beatiful trancey stuff and also some tougher, more driving and acidic music. Its good to bounce these styles off each other because you end up with something you can listen to AND have a damn good stomp to as well! Highlights here include Apogee's 'Tribal Affair', Angelstyle's 'Oceamcream', Sensorica's 'Equilibrium' and Kuffdam & Plant's 'Summer Dream'. Not your average mix CD at all!

CD3 - Mixed Emotions (Bonus CD)

Tracklisting
01) Shortcut Through the Graveyard (3am, Mushrooms)
02) Anxiety Attack
03) Who Let HIM Drive?
04) Hope
05) Wired For Sound
06) Klopfgeist

BONUS TRACKS
07) Bill Goes Nuts (33 Hours in)
08) Kiss Out Takes

CD3 is, well, its... something totally different. Its a mash up of chillout, breakbeat, mashed up conversations and out takes and more. Its very difficult to describe so you just need to whack this on in a post club chill and see what happens. Incidentally though, track 4 - some really cool ambient tunage - is my favourite track.

Conclusion:
John Askew has provided us with soemthing special for his debut album - his own music which can be used by the DJs out there, a proper live and unedited mix plus a bonus CD filled with some pretty 'out there' stuff. All in all its a great little package brimming with good music, so if you like it trancey, energetic and uplifting and something else, then this mustn't be missed. Its available online now from http://www.recoverworld.com/ and it hits the shop shelves in January.