Cypherpunx feat. Sian Evans – Alien (Renaissance)

It seems that seminal electronic music brand Renaissance is literally having its own Renaissance. This week in particular has seen its output peak into the red across its label and events business with a massively high level of excitement, which include some über names of the electronic music scene, and just as importantly some up-and-coming ones.

I am always wary when established players push back into the market. Some would say they never went away, but it’s with a sense of trepidation that I have watched Geoff Oakes & team reignite the Renaissance label and events business, but the recent output has been beautifully curated to showcase a mix of talent which is exciting, not just because it taps into the Renaissance heritage but because of the level of new talent that is joining the team.

If you need hard evidence then consider last month’s Underher release with that sock-knocking Tim Engelhardt remix, chunky and lush in that Renaissance style they are so famous for from back in the day. If I’m going to add a little verbiage of my own I would give kudos for picking up on Underher, whom I have somewhat of an obsession with (check out their collaboration with Midnight Works on Kindisch for example).

Then there is the criminally underrated Aera remix of Argy’s ‘The Third Degree‘ which has the momentum of a runaway train and epitomises a fresh approach to production that really is different. Not every offering has been of this quality, but in general it’s been enough of an engagement to create a kerfuffle in a notoriously sniffy market.

Then there’s this weekend’s ‘Renaissance by the Sea’ with Sasha & John Digweed, Just Her, Argy and Marcus James and the afterparty with Cypherpunx, you have to think the hard work is paying off for Renaissance.

All this and we haven’t even reached the main event here; Cypherpunx’s ‘Alien’ with vocal from Sian Evans complete with Sebastien Leger remix that has helped it break through to almost all of the top jocks across the related genres.

The mysterious Cypherpunx have been honing their own brand of quirky, tribal driven house with releases on Crosstown Rebels, Rebellion and Bedrock including a collaboration with Luke Brancaccio that have been very well received but this release with its vocal from Sian Evans has lifted things to a new level. 

What is great here is Cypherpunx have treated the vocal like a song, nurturing the arrangement to suit, building and dropping with the ebb and flow that elevates Sian’s vocal to suit the instrumentation. It’s more crafted than produced.

As outstanding as the original is, Sebastian Leger takes a logic defying swipe at it with a ten minute remix, epic in nature and deceivingly simple creating (and I don’t say this lightly) a modern classic.

This is the kind of track that crosses genres and stays in record boxes, tucked in the back as a secret weapon. Long have I been a fan of Leger, his releases on All Day I Dream elevated him to the upper tier of producers for me, the pure quality, the style and the ease his releases are delivered.

The clarity, the space, the gently building arrangement. There are no gimmicks, no forced production techniques this is pure quality execution of vision and good taste.

Do I need to say anything more? If you haven’t heard this yet, where have you been? Get out more. Massive.

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