John Spring - Lava Lava
Label: Basmati Music

The original "Lava Lava" by Joh Spring came out in 2007 and caught the attention of super-DJs like Sven Vath. This track is wildly inventive, kooky, irreverent, with all sorts of unpredictable elements. Basmati has re-released it with two great remixes, one by the label's bosses (#2) and another by tech-house producer Falko Brockseiper. I loved the original, and the Ananda/Janovsky mix (#1 & #2), the Brockseiper remix (#3) is still good but not as strong as the other two.

1. Original (6:41) - Kooky & irreverent "tech-funk". (Is there such a thing?) One of the most unusual dance tracks I've ever heard. The beats are dry and crispy, with a funky bassline that serves as the framework for all sorts of audio madness. Percussive noises, odd analog manipulations, and highly irregular tempo changes.

2. Gabriel Ananda & Marcel Janovsky Remix (6:26) - Basmati's label-meisters take the original in all sorts of funky and bizarre directions. Analog blurps, electro grinds, stops & starts, breaks, and quasi-dubstep drops. Anything to throw you off your guard, they do it in this track. Awesome job.

3. Falko Brocksieper Remix (6:29) - Falko the tech-house-meister adds a different flair with a catchy & shimmering little synth loop and some big analog-bass drops. It evens out the irregularities of the original but still keeps it fun.