- D'Julz is hardly a new name. He’s been a stalwart of the French underground for many a year with releases on 20/20 Vision and Ovum, amongst others, to show for it. As a DJ, D'Julz treads a similar path to Poker Flat boss Steve Bug, specialising in an erudite techy deepness laced with tracks that follow a common thread, whether they be house or techno. As a recording artist he tends to follow the same blueprint.
However, this is a disappointing effort from the Frenchman. Okay, good DJs don't always make great producers and vice-versa, but D'Julz is capable of greatness, as 'Acid Tricks' on Ovum proved. Here though the title track never really gets going, and while it would make reasonable mixing fodder, it's difficult to see it standing out in its own right. There's a pounding hi-hat and some linear percussion combined with an undulating Rob Hood-like symphonic backdrop. Sounds good on paper, but in practice it is lacking in variety, and although it picks up a bit after the four minute mark, things soon descend once more into ordinariness and the track ends with a whimper.
The Dan Berkson and James What remix is slightly better, adding a bit of syncopation where little existed before. It dubs the track out and makes a little more space between the bars. There's a retro tinge to this remix which, although slightly cliched in itself, is definitely an improvement on the bland original. It's left to 'Sign' to try and rescue this package, a task which it falls short of, following in the footsteps of 'Runny' it's a seven minute exercise in ordinariness.
D'Julz and Poker Flat have set themselves exceedingly high standards. As stated before, these tracks could probably merge with others to create something atmospheric and special when needed, but under closer scrutiny, they fail to deliver.
TracklistA1 Runny
B1 Runny remixed by Dan Berkson & James What
B2 Sign