Intrigue 13 – The Anniversary Collection

Bless up InReach Crew dem! I’ve been granted a little space to wax lyrical about the music I love by the IR family, so goes without saying’ big ups to you guys 🙂

My initial thoughts when cruising through this album was that it instantly got me reminiscing about the summer (shouts out to the Boomtown crew on that one!). From start to finish the tunes keep it light, rolling and flavoursome, with most of the tracks being punctuated with warm chords or instrument samples like string and guitar loops. Coupled with that, the summery imagery of the cover art got me in the mood for sunshine, sangrias and sweet riddims!

The first part of the album is very much rollers orientated whilst the latter takes the vibe on a journey into moodier territories, with tracks like ‘Whatcha Do’ by veteran Raw Q and ‘Tangents’ by Lurch breaking the mould and opting for more of a steppaz and minimal style respectively.

One thing that struck me early on is how well all the tracks work together and really give you a strong impression of what Intrigue are about. Each song flows seamlessly into the next and you get a real sense of progression. The following were a couple of personal highlights.

Joakuim – Cenzontle

Strong vibe on this one! Real depth to the production and some satisfying bass edits, all underpinned by a good selection of melodic elements. If you like em’ deep and spacious with flowing textures, this tune is worth a listen.
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Phase 2 – Thoughts
Phase 2 absolutely nails it with this tune. The style of this track is not wholly dissimilar to an all time personal fave – the Marcus Intalex and ST Files remix of ‘Just a Vision’ by Solid State. Phase 2 takes that style and brings it up to date with some satisfying edits and a solid depth to the production. If you are into funky, percussion driven tracks, this should find you satiated.

RoyGreen, Protone & Ben Soundscape – The Codfather
Track 1 on this album sees regular studio chums RoyGreen & Protone linking up with Ben Soundscape for a collaboration on this intriguing little roller. The vibe of this track is quite understated, which is what made me keep coming back to it. It’s hard to put my finger on what makes this tune standout to me. It could be the thick and well compressed balance of drums and bass, or even the subtle but effective use of delays and melodic elements. But in the end I think I have to put it down to the unique style these three producers impart on the music they make, all of which when viewed together carries a strong narrative only these guys know how to do. Great stuff lads 🙂

Shouts also go out to Random Movement feat. Collette Warren, Break and the rest of the Intrigue Crew for seriously delivering with this Album.

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