Progressive Grooves cat. PGR038
Released 2008

Track list:
1. System (5.38)
2. Lather To The Sky (4.09)

IN BRIEF: Epic.

They say breaks is in a bad way. They say the same about trance as well. They may be right, but you should never write a genre off because of them. Zircon is a producer who straddles the boundary (if one exists) between trance and breaks. Combining the two can often be troublesome, as trance is one of the least funky electronic styles, while breaks descends from hip-hop on a blood line of pure syncopation. Most of the successful combinations of trance and breakbeat come in the atmospheric downtempo moments- witness Chicane or Mirco De Govia, but trance ‘n breaks at a dancefloor tempo that works is much less common. When it does it’s usually claimed by the “progressive breaks” crowd.

You can perhaps call Zircon progressive breaks, but there’s something in the intricacy of the production and the sheer skyscraping scale of his arrangements that puts these tracks closer to latter-day trance than the more contemplative, moody sounds of prog breaks as they’re conventionally defined.

But enough about classifications. The music’s too interesting in its own right. A simple two-track digital release with no remixes or collaborations, the two tracks here passed by without much fanfare, which is probably because few DJs would find a place for them these days. And that is because they are downright epic, epic in that gloriously euphoric, hands in the air form that has deserted dance music of late.

System is the more anthemic of the two. It gets straight down to business with a crunchy break and a squelchy bassline, and within thirty seconds has burst into a dramatic string section and rising synth chords that stride towards a sweeping breakdown. From there onwards it’s a cavalcade of wonderfully overblown moments- pretty, bleepy melodies that swirl around the driving rhythms, more orchestral flourishes and wailing electric guitars that blows the roof clean off. While undoubtedly, unashamedly bombastic, it never commits the sin of being predictable, clichéd or flat.

On the digital flip is the fantastically named Lather To The Sky, which evokes its eponymous cloudscapes in a more dreamy and flowing compositional style. There’s another well-programmed breakbeat keeping your heart rate up, but the star of the show is a beautiful piano that runs through the middle of the track, complemented by a synth line that is pure mid-90s trance escapism. A classy acoustic guitar breakdown seals the deal.

Erm… there’s nothing wrong this release. Nothing. Production, writing, dancefloor efficiency, home listening value... Zircon has delivered a release that is airtight in every relevant department, and more than that is refreshing. Here is a track that harks back to the best of dance music's past and yet manages to seamlessly integrate such influences with production that is bang up to date. Full marks for singles are very rare because the format is limited generally, and there’s usually one duff remix to drag the whole affair down a mark or two. Not here. 10/10 seems overly profound a score for two tracks that don’t clock up ten minutes between them, but as the mantra goes: quality over quantity.


Written by SYSTEM-J for TranceCritic.com. May not be reproduced or republished without the consent of TranceCritic.com. © All rights reserved.

Title: Zircon - System / Lather To The Sky
Category: Single, EP
Sub Category: Break Beat
Reviewer: SYSTEM-J
Related Link: http://www.myspace.com/zirconst
Added: September 11th 2008
Viewed: 1209 Times
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