This “Secret Service” EP by Guchon is an energizing ode to the classics, refiguring time-tested vocal samples into cheekily-modern House and Techno.
A bumping, House-y update of Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” opens this short but sweet, four track “Secret Service” release, making you wonder why this hasn’t been done before, because it works so well as a dance cut. Slick hats cut through a bell-tone melody that fits in perfectly with the rap; it’s a perfect song for summer. A chugging bass is added to Green Velvet’s iconic “Percolator” track alongside some nice Detroitian stabs. It might be one of the most used samples in dance music, but the imaginativeness of the edit here makes a strong addition to the oeuvre. And you can really never have enough Green Velvet, can you?
Wildchild’s ‘95 chart-topping “Renegade Master”—released, sadly, the same year as his death—which has received remix attention from Fatboy Slim, also makes an appearance. Chopped and seasoned, it’s served with fresh devastation. Edits like this are a great way to keep the classics alive and expose newcomers to the scene to the sources from which the sound we all take for granted derived. Gleaming showers of chimes shine through an infectious bassline, reminding us how much raw power can still be found in the sounds of yore.
The closer, “Macarena Track” shows that a deft edit and flanger effect are more than enough in themselves to establish a groove. The Macarena, of all things, is sliced up into a neat little house-y slow burner for a truly tongue-in-cheek, effective example of sampling. Not to mention, all proceeds of the release go to UNICEF, which is a great reason to pick it up on Bandcamp.
-Winston Mann
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