Exclusive Review: Livio & Roby feat. George G. – Monochrome
Artist: Livio & Roby feat. George G.
Title: Monochrome
Label: Only Records
Format: Digital
Release Date: none
Audio Sample: Listen
A quick glance at the full title of this track (most notably the “feat. George G” part), and one could be forgiven for expecting a soulful male vocal or something resembling a hip hop MC. Yet, much to the delight of this reviewer, the track has neither – instead, it’s a pure instrumental beauty.
Monochrome is not only the title of the track but also apparently the alias that the Romanian trio uses to produce together, so expect releases from the three to be credited under that moniker. That aside, Monochrome (the track) is a tasty little slice of funky electro prog. The track evokes a very warm feeling, with it’s bright synths and crisp bassline. And, as required from any great progressive track, this one subtly unfolds throughout the arrangement. All in all, the track works perfectly as an early night or warm-up piece…
Complementing the release are three remixes, courtesy of French producer Wize, Ireland’s Karran and Porter, and the Reprise mix from the original trio. The Reprise mix is a subdued journey into minimal-progressive territory, and as such, this reviewer didn’t particularly care for it too much. On the other hand, the Karran and Porter mix is quite good, paralleling the original and adding an extra boost an energy.
But the biggest accolades are reserved for the Wize remix, which a slamming rework of the original. Building upon the main elements of the track, Wize adds a massive trademark bassline, and what is almost certainly a live guitar (if the guitar section is synthesized, it certainly doesn’t sound like it). He also tosses in brand-new, hard hitting drums that really help add some extra “oomph” to the track. This one definitely should be played only in prime time!
