Deadbeat/Monolake: Random Brown
Cynosure

Score one for Cynosure, as Scott Monteith makes a rare Deadbeat appearance on another label besides his usual ~scape, while Robert Henke performs rare Monolake remix duty. Deadbeat's “Random Brown” original downplays his familiar dub-based style for something closer to tactile techno-funk. There's almost a booty-bass vibe at work, as Monteith incrementally bombards the tune's buoyant swagger with bleeps, swizzles, and drips before a mid-song breakdown ups the intensity ante and unleashes the cut's jacking house bounce. Calling it eight minutes of quintessential Deadbeat genius wouldn't be far wrong. Clubbier than his usual Monolake material, Henke's version morphs the song into a slamming techno monster that stomps with royal aplomb. The cut's writhing pulse relentlessly heaves and churns for a glorious seven minutes, leading one to ponder how extraordinary an entire Deadbeat-Monolake remix album could be.

December 2006