Underworld / Dark and Long (Christian Smith remixes)
Vinyl
Tronic / Released August 2011
What does it sound like?
A don of European dance music gets to have his way with an outright, all time anthem. Dark & Long is without question one of the defining progressive house-turned-techno records of the 1990s, and much of what we originally fell in love with has thankfully been retained.
Jumping on the ‘dark train’ then we find ourselves dropped into a familiarly warm, rolling builder that’s been brought into the 21st Century pretty well by Tronic boss Smith. Hi-hats and hooks are noticeably sharper, and while that enormous wave of synth has been retained it doesn’t stick around for too long once its head rears, and thus provides a pretty good example of the not so subtle differences between electronic beats now and in 1994. In addition to the Tronic Treatment you can also sink your teeth into the darker, dubbier, and logically titled Hypnotica Dub, a version that concentrates less on the melody, more on tension and vocals, before finally throwing those keys into the mix, albeit through filtered distortion.
Where would I dance to it?
The fact this is Dark & Long means almost everyone has heard it before, and most would play it. That said, because this is Dark & Long no doubt a good proportion of people will be a little too shy to break it out.
What highlights can I expect to hear?
The slightly more sinister opening of the Hypnotica Dub does it for us, just, and is the version that should get the most plays outside big room moments.
Why should I pay for it?
No cash no cigar, as someone probably once said.
Where can I buy it?
Local stores.
