Simon Baker At Juno Download

Review: We can clearly hear signs of musical development in "Grey Area", the latest single from long-time 2020 Vision producer Simon Baker. Rather than the simple-but-effective, electrofunk-influenced grooves of old, "Grey Area" offers carefully sculpted deep house laden with emotion-rich piano loops, jazz breakdowns and teary vocal samples. It's both pleasantly surprising and, well, rather good - certainly one of his best to date. Remix-wise, Steve Bug emphasizes the jazz elements on his alien-sounding rework (check those sci-fi synths), whilst Burnski & Robert James provide a bumpin' late night rework that should tickle the tastebuds of regular 2020-watchers. Recommended.

Review: There was a time, a few years back, when Simon Baker seemed to be heading right to the top. In recent years, his production outings have been less frequent, but they're rarely anything less than excellent. Here he returns to action for 2020 Vision offshoot Fina, delivering a pleasingly tactile blend of melodic deep house infused with nu-disco synths. Lead cut "Riker" is particularly good, fluctuating between Moroder-ish bottom end and cascading marimba melodies. "Geo" offers a much more fluid - and some would say traditional - take on deep house, but it's no less attractive. A strong package is completed by Eliphino's rework of "Riker", a formidable late night jam that sits somewhere between British bass music and slick deep house.