Artist: Various (mixed by Andrea Oliva, UNER & Los Suruba)
Album: ANTS The Mix 2014
Label: ITH
Released: 29/6/14
In just two short years ANTS has scurried its way to the forefront of Ibiza's underground scene, and now you don't have to be on the white isle to get a piece of the action. As we all know ants work best in a colony, so it seems fitting that three residents of the Ushuaïa party Andrea Oliva, UNER and duo Los Suruba have come together to create ANTS The Mix 2014, a three-hour marathon of mixing perfection. The DJs smashed the album launch at Ushuaïa last month, giving us a taste of what we can expect from the album - which we at Spotlight were even more impressed by than the free bar and sushi (and that's high praise!). Over three LPs they've produced this seamless offering, mixing main room house, EDM and trance to bring us the sound of summer's Saturdays that we can keep on listening to right through to the winter months.
The first mix comes from Andrea Oliva, the Swiss behind what quickly became the Colony's 2013 summer anthem, Rise Of Angels. Oliva's record creeps into life with the sporadic notes of Carl Craig's stripped back remix of Junior Boys' Like A Child, leading us perfectly into an album that not only gives us partying gold dust, but also something for the morning after.
In this twelve track mix Oliva gives us consistent, percussion lead beats, like the thudding drums in Deetron's Can't Love You More or the playful hi-hats in Dario D'Attis' The Good Old Days. Along with the Spaniard's skills behind the mixing board, these parallels help to ensure that the record flows from start to finish, despite some of the song choices having vastly different feels to them. The first half of the LP is all tropical drums and upbeat melodies, creating a sound perfect for lying back with something fruity in a bar on the beach, somewhere like, oh I don't know, Ibiza perhaps. However as the record progresses the mood descends, with deep, distorted vocals like the sinister commands on Ilario Liburni's Don't Tell Me What To Do. Combine that with the moody tribal drums on El Prevost's Allez Ally (Dan Ghenacia remix) featuring D.Ham, and the grinding synths on Paul C & Paulo Martini's Spunk (NIKKY remix), and you end up with something altogether darker.
Oliva's mix is finished up with his new track, Decomposing. Continuing with the melancholy mood the track begins with yet more low beats and deep vocals, before a mournful piano solo comes in with stunning effects, a perfect finish to part one of ANTS The Mix.
Mix number two comes from UNER, and no slow starts here as he hits us with Sable Sheep and Redemption. A busy combination of drums, cymbals and electronic beats, the sounds are layered up to create this punchy instrumental number, in which you can clearly hear the German producer's heavy metal roots coming though. Definitely one for the dance floor, the Spaniard's selections are full of buoyant beats and funky bass lines, see Poncho Warwick & Wally Callerio's jazz infused Who Will Comfort Me (Guti Summer Loving Remix). A personal highlight of the record comes from Agoria with his uplifting hit Scala, a multifaceted track that is still going strong after smashing onto Ibiza's dance floors at the back end of last season.
UNER has included two of his own tracks, Sorry You, a low key, synthy number in which Negra's faint vocals seep through the shuffling bass, and Trumpets & Flowers featuring Kafele Bandele, which, like Oliva, he's chosen to end his record with. Treading a perfect line between beachy chill-out and finger-clicking funk, it's no surprise that this isn't the first Ibiza compilation this track has featured on this year, appearing on Blue Marlin Ibiza and Defected in the House.
Last up we have Los Suruba's offering and like Andrea Oliva's it's a slow start with the beautifully pared-back guitar solo in Tim Green's Helpless Sun. This relaxed vibe doesn't hang around for long though, as they quickly pick up the pace with track two, Nick Curly's Piano In The Dark (Johnny D Remix), which sets the tone for a record that could get even the most reserved ANTS fan two-stepping in front of their bedroom mirror, whether it be with the funk ridden bass line in Piano In The Dark, or the deep undertones of Dubspeeka's remix of Squire's Follow You.
From their own catalogue, Los Suruba have chosen to include their track Fine, which they've modestly nestled second from last in the mix. This fluid house track sees a steady bass tapping away against Sutja Gutierrez's heartfelt vocals with sensational results. Rounding off Los Suruba's mix and the album itself is the Tale Of Us & Vaal Remix of Michael Gracioppo's Creep. The hushed vocals and high notes at the start steadily move to much grittier place on the sound spectrum, with grinding synths and crashing cymbals fighting it out, until the different layers peter out and just a few notes rattle around before it falls to silence.
An essential album for all fans of the Ushuaïa party, and anyone who just wants to see what it's all about. The colony are back this Saturday with the first of Joris Voorn and Nick Fanciulli's La Familia takeover of ANTS, with guests Matthias Tanzmann, Yousef, UNER, SecondCity and Lauren Jane. ANTS unite!
Tracklist:
CD1 – Andrea Oliva
01. Junior Boys - Like A Child (Carl Craig Remix)
02. Deetron - Can't Love You More
03. Tiger Stripes - Sisters (Dub)
04. Mr. G - Ben & Gerd (Killin It M Day)
05. Dario D'Attis - The Good Old Days (Original Mix)
06. Andrea Oliva & DJ Le Roi - Feel On You
07. El Prevost feat. D.Ham - Allez Ally (Dan Ghenacia Remix)
08. Ilario Liburni - Don't Tell Me What To Do (Original Mix)
09. Pitto - You
10. Santé featuring Soliman - La Pek (Original Mix)
11. Paul C & Paolo Martini - Spunk (NIKKY Remix)
12. Andrea Oliva - Decomposing
CD2 - UNER
01. Sable Sheep - Redemption
02. Nick Curly - Wake Me Up (Mathias Kaden's Trippy Remix)
03. Poncho Warwick & Wally Callerio - Who Will Comfort Me (Guti Summer Loving Remix)
04. Subb-an & Tom Trago feat. Seth Troxler - Time
05. UNER feat. Negra - Sorry You
06. Agoria - Scala
07. D'Julz - Da Madness (The Martinez Brothers Feat Phil Weeks Remix)
08. Detlef - Symphony
09. Dennis Ferrer - Son of Raw (Loco Dice Remix)
10. Nick Curly - Underground
11. UNER feat. Kafele Bandele - Trumpets & Flowers
CD3 – Los Suruba
01. Tim Green featuring Hayley Hutchinson - Helpless Sun (Original Mix)
02. Nick Curly - Piano In The Dark (Johnny D Remix)
03. Paul Mad - Apple & Cinnamon (Original Mix)
04. Samu.l - Invitations (Original Mix)
05. Squire - Follow You (Dubspeeka Remix)
06. Jacob Phono & Jens Bond - Saatzuchtgut (German Brigante Remix)
07. Fur Coat - Together
08. Sid Le Rock - Secret Sauce (Original Mix)
09. Frankey & Sandrino - The Edge
10. Guy Gerber & Dixon - No Distance
11. Los Suruba feat. Sutja Gutierrez - Fine (Original Mix)
12. Michael Gracioppo feat. Wayne Tennant - Creep (Tale Of Us & Vaal Remix)
unitedants.com/ants-presents-the-mix-2014
itunes.apple.com/ants-presents-the-mix-2014
