Into The Light take another trip into the annals of Greek electronica, stopping by Akis' Athenian home for a special 12" treat. Though last year's "Space, Time And Beyond" anthology was a fairly exhaustive (and frankly brilliant set), it all but ignored the composer's contributions to the Greek house scene, most notably Aegean anthem "Giant Step", released under the D.E. moniker. This slice of early nineties action sweeps through baroque string arrangements, slow rolling breakbeats and acid-tinged undulations, coming on like an extra ethnic relation of Tranquility Bass. Beaty yet breezy, this coastal killer is a classic in Greece, and more than deserves wider attention. If that wasn't enough to have you snatching a copy, the flip hits us with an earlier 80's demo version, recorded round Vangelis Katsoulis' gaff. To be honest, though they share the same name, the two tracks couldn't be further apart, the "Demo" mix ditching the breakbeat and colling flute trills in favour of Laswell style bass, unconventional percussion and outrageous sampler abuse. Explosions, machine gun fire, concerned chickens and arcade game idents all rebound around the soundstage, decorating the consistently off-kilter rhythm section until the woodwinds, mallets and arps take us skywards.

STAFF COMMENTS

Patrick says: Yet another killer on the Into The Light imprint, as they follow their Akis anthology with a 12" of his club leaning compositions. The A-side plays host to the Balearic breakbeat of Aegean classic "Giant Step", while the B-side brings us the sampler-driven proto house strangeness of an 80's demo version - leftfield gold if ever I heard it.

TRACK LISTING

Giant Step (Club Mix)
Giant Step (Demo)