Carlos Sanchez At Juno Download

Review: Carlos Sanchez teases new shapes and possibilities out of the DJ tool approach on Changes. "Outer Side" is all hissing percussion and raw, jacking beats, but midway through, ghostly chords lend it an ethereal feeling. By contrast, "Breaking Bread" is an earthy affair, with Sanchez merging a jacking, acid-fuelled rhythm with a sleazy vocal talking about money laundering. "My New Toy" is the most conventional cut here, featuring shuffling drums and ringing bells, but it's hard to believe Sanchez' claim that "I'm Just An Ordinary Guy", especially when the assertion is being made against a backdrop of surging, ebm-style bass drops.

Review: On the evidence of this collection of original material and remixes, it sounds like Sanchez and Ray have nailed a sound and stuck to it. While their take on Jose Armas's "Travieso" has some techy chords and the odd screechy riff, the main approach here is drum-heavy, loopy house. Original material like "Bandera Blanca" and the duo's version of Funkwerkstatt's "Standwaage" are underscored by irresistible vocal samples and subtle filters. But it's not all DJ tool tracks: on "Koh Samui", they show that there are other influences at play as snappy percussion and infectious one-note bleeps ensure that they don't get stuck in a tool house rut.