torsdag 30 Aug 2007, 13:26
New release on Cocoon from Sept. 3rd, 2007:
Pig & Dan - Imagine (COR014-2)
In 1999, the artists Igor Tchkotoua and Dan Duncan met by chance on a flight to Spain and recognized that they are on the same wavelength. Soon after that, records and productions were exchanged and slowly, the two determined to rough up the underground techno scene.
Their first joint productions immediately made it into the record cases of well-known DJs and Laurent Garnier, Sander Kleinenberg or Deep Dish inquired the tracks for their mix compilations. After more than twenty productions for their own "Submission" label, they started something new with their new label "Sonic Society", moving more towards minimal productions.
However, it wasn't long until people like Sven Väth, Loco Dice or M.A.N.D.Y. began supporting Pig&Dan productions. The highlight of their corporate career may have been the remix for "Underworld". Also last year, the Pig&Dan 12"es "On to the Beat" and "After Ibiza" on Cocoon Recordings caused a sensation and wherever the records were played, both the public as well as the DJs freaked out and wanted to know the name of the record. From that point on, it was only a question of time until the duo would do a longplayer on Cocoon Recordings.
After Guy Gerber's longplay debut on Cocoon,
it's now Pig&Dan's turn to release the next big thing in the Cocoon Recordings universe. In contrast to Guy Gerber, who, with "Late Bloomers", succeeded in covering the total bandwidth from House via Techno to Trance, Pig&Dan are moving more or less on one track – however they are following their path more consistently. Their electronic House sound – closer to Techno than to Guy Gerber's Deep House as regards content – is a perfect image of what is happening on the planet's dancefloors.
Trippy and driving electronic beats which are never flamboyant are combined with filigree basslines, giant spherical spaces and weird sounds in long sophisticated arrangements: modern Minimal House with a good share of Techno. Pig&Dan prove to be masters of their trade, and with their productions, sound and style, remind of the perfection of artists like Guido Schneider or Anders Trentemøller, without ever losing their own handwriting.
Despite the stringent concept of Electro House, their productions are applicable in a highly flexible way. Though the tracks suggest, by their driving character, to put them into Techno and House DJ sets, but also the friends of calmer sounds will have a lot of listening fun, because the productions never tend to sound aggressive, they rather manage to set free the really big emotions, sometimes reminding of the high times of Vladislav Delay's Luomo productions.
Whereas in the last years, Delay used to be somehow more playful and harmonic, Pig&Dan reduce themselves on "Imagine" more to the essentials of current Techno productions and work more clearly on the elements that a modern dance track should have. The duo is operating on a very high level of production, from the first track to the last one on the record - one highlight chasing the other, and almost each track is succeed in bringing back the atmosphere of the last club night. This is where the sound of the Cocoon floors in Ibiza, Frankfurt, Amsterdam or Rome is transported directly to our iPods, stereos and cars.
Pig&Dan seem to have lost their hitherto status as an insider's tip once and for all with that impressing debut album and prove that they are not only fantastic DJs remixers but can also create first-class productions.
Streaming on last.fm most likely before Monday. Stay tuned for Pig & Dan!