D-Nox & Beckers - Distance [26.05.2011, Techno House, MP3]

Christian Wedekind and Frank Beckers, have been a familiar sight in the German house and techno scene since the mid-nineties but its their predominantly big-room collaborative work as D-Nox & Beckers since 2005 that has taken them around the world. Releasing tracks and remixes for Systematic, Baroque, Global Underground and Great Stuff the producer/DJ outfit have garnered support from a host of renowned DJs including Pete Tong, Satoshi Tomiie and, of course, Tronic boss Christian Smith who commissioned them to mix the second Tronic Treatment comp earlier this year. From the off Distance, much like its creators who have been tagged as just about every house/techno sub-genre there is, refused to stick to one style or mood. Opener Sunner is a breezy, keys led number with an infectious feel that evokes the heady days of progressive house while tracks like moody technoid cuts My Voice or Little and the percussive hypnotica of Follow Me tread darker paths. Theres even a nod to Sneak-styled filter house in What I Have and classic lounging house in the brass fuelled Jacaranda. While flowing from vibe to vibe, Distance never loses its way and is tied together with an incredibly strong sense of melody throughout, even in the more stripped back cuts. Developing like a well-crafted DJ set, the whole LP is not only entertaining or absorbing but makes sense as a listen an essential commodity in transferring 12 success to the LP format.