Review: Sharkfin 004
Well,
It seems the life of a reviewer is a busy one! I have been sent the latest release from Simon Holmes and his fledgling Sharkfin Records (www.sharkfinrecords.com). The tracklisting for this one is as follows: (in no particular order)
Simon Holmes - Lose Control
Simon Holmes - Drift
D-Con - Lupine
DJ Twista - Storyteller
Lets start with Lose Control. Now, from what I’ve heard of Simon’s productions, they are a little different from a lot of the other Hardcore Breaks releases out there. What I mean by that is that Simon tends to concentrate on the more atmospheric styles, and I must say, this is no exception. Driven by an amen drum, the synth work is excellent, and the track builds throughout, right until the pianoline kicks in. A real ‘close your eyes and drift away’ tune. This tune has no real ‘breakdown’ so to speak, bucking the trend of a lot of releases these days, but it works like a dream. An absolute killer tune. Check it out.
I’d move on to track 2, but I’m just giving ‘Lose Control’ another quick run through….. 
Right, Drift is up next. Nope, not the Leicester Based Breakpirates guru, but Simons next offering. This starts with a lovely floaty synth, and a soft trance line. The beat picks up pace with a nice cleanly chopped amen. Simple but effective. Again, with the emphasis on building the track, this then drops to an orb-esque breakdown. However, thats where the similarities end. Cos in comes a dirty distorted synth. Layered in with the synths, it really works well. Add a really subtle piano, and a classic trance stab pattern, and you have another beautiful piece of music. I do have to say though, that I find this not as good as ‘Lose Control’, as it doesnt have as much energy. Saying that though, its a great tune. Music for Moods and all that.
Ok, D-Con is up next, and I could sum this up in one word. Dirt. This tune has been ripping up floors and getting hammered on the pirate stations. It samples ‘Underworld Evolution’ and thats all the vocal that is in there. D-Con has created some unique sounds and although I prefer the faster stuff (this runs at about 140bpm I believe), it is so heavy that you look around the room, with a screwface, thinking ‘Fuck me, thats hardcore’. This is in total contrast to the other releases on the EP, and I’ll tell you something…. This is a gem. Well done Mr Holmes for signing this one. If you haven’t heard this tune, shame on you.
Right, last up is the DJ Twista. I’ll be honest and tell you all that I’ve not heard a lot of twistas stuff before. It starts with what I can only describe as an 80’s style synth (kinda reminds me of ‘Yazoo’, but I’m showing my age now. And I dont mean the milkshake!) and in kicks a punchy as hell electro style beat. Layer a classic Oldskool beat over that, add a cheeky 303 quiet in the mix, and your up to the drop. The vocal sounds like it came from a computer game, you know, like a dramatic american voice from a japanese ‘Operation Wolf’ type game. The piano works well over the top of a reese style bass, and the track flows along nicely. It sounds full and has plenty going on to keep you interested. This is a solid track, and again is very well produced. I like it.
To summarise, there is something for everyone on here. Traditional stuff from the Twista, Progressive stuff from Simon Holmes and a good old slice of filth from the D-Con. Although you may not like all 4 tracks, due to their contrasting styles, it still deserves to be in your box, purely for versatility reasons.
Well done Sharkfin. Roll on 005…….
Till next time,
The Mix Analyst