Dekmantel start off 2014 in gratifying style with a trio of excellent tracks. Countryman Mark du Mosch makes his first appearance on the Dutch label Dekmantel alongside a remix from the expatriated and eternally coveted Gesloten Cirkel, the result being something that is instantly accessible with a depth to savour.
Leading the release is a sumptuous piece of aural umami. ‘Bay 25′ is a jumbled up recollection of rave melodies past and faerie tale lullabies, continuing 2013’s rediscovered love affair of all things breaksy with metallic loops playing off the emphatic sub kicks and jaguar growls that sit in the low end. By comparison, ‘Living Up’ is more straightforward, the track which will draw you in while the others slowly reveal their knotweed tendencies. Cut from the same cloth shared by the likes of Delsin, it is a progressively building shimmer, rising in two crests and saturated enough to be heady rather than formulaic.
At this point Gesloten Cirkel wades in, picking up the strands of Living Up and shaking out a fully sauced cocktail of a remix. To go some strides towards describing it, picture in your mind the psychedelic boat ride from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (the original, not the Burton misstep). Mentally scrunch this scene into the shape of a ball and imagine rhythmically bouncing the resulting gelatinous mass against the surface of your eardrum for seven and a half minutes. It’s an enthralling and hysterical ride with Cirkel acting as the capricious Wonka in charge of the controls, fully deserving its place as the pick of a premium quality bunch.