NACHTBRAKER レコード& CD

Review: Detroit Swindle's Heist Recordings serve up a bunch of sweet remixes for proper house heads. Irish lads Brame & Hamo remix Fouk's "Lefty's Bar", its a sweet slice of slow-mo house that's worth a listen. Fouk then returns the favour, remixing their track "Hotshot", giving it a sleazy deep funk flavour that's unashamedly indebted to KDJ. On the flip are label head honchos Lars Dales and Maarten Smeets giving Nachtbraker's "You'e Out Of Your Element" a deep trippy tech house makeover that's perfect to use as your pre-peak time track. Oh, their track "Alright We'll Be" gets a sultry and adrenalised rework by Leipzig's M.ono. The confusion all ends in spectacular fashion with Maurits Verwoerd aka Nachtbraker's turn at a remix. He gives M.ono's "Delaware State Route" a tracky and percussive house remodel that could have equally been at home on Sascha Dive's Deep Vibes imprint.

Review: Some four years and umpteen EPs have passed since Nachtbraker made his debut on Detroit Swindle's Heist Recordings label. This debut album, then, is arguably long overdue. "When You Find A Stranger In The Alps" is an exceptionally strong collection of cuts, with the Dutch producer effortlessly flitting between ambient interludes, head-nodding downtempo beats and the floor-friendly fare he's renowned for delivering. There's much eclecticism within that latter category, too. There are plenty of melodic deep house floor-fillers, of course ("Flambo", "Randy"), but you'll also hear reggae-tinged club tracks ("NSFW"), bouncy techno ("You Can't Run"), soul and disco-inspired mid-tempo shufflers ("The Dream Sequence", "Just Doing My Thang") and funk rock smashers ("Aliens"). In other words, it ticks a lot of boxes whilst remaining enjoyable and entertaining throughout.