DJ Alex Corton – Good Looking Records

Good Looking Records

Makoto – My Soul

2003

For our next 12” single release, we have more work from Makoto, and a piece of music that must have been made around the same time as ‘Time’ & his ‘Human Elements’ album. It’s interesting that the draft art proposal of ‘Joy EP’, from Makoto was mentioning John B as the remixer of a track that never happened, and now here he is?

  While the track was not featured on an album it is a solid accompaniment to have and also has this pretty decent remix included from John B. 

    The artwork here is by Gareth Jones who was usually the guy that put out sleeves for Makoto’s work (apart from Levi Phillips AKA Blade who worked a little later with Makoto on ‘Believe In My Soul’). Here, it’s the varying beams of color that swish through the print of Makoto’s profile picture. The typeface on the front is again, in the style of a digital clock, liquid crystal display. I’m sure Gareth has more information about this work. 

   For the first track on this 12”, it’s ’My Soul’ on Side A, which I don’t believe features on any Prog Sessions mixes. The flip side does though. Makoto steadies the atmospheric ship here with one of those builds that leads to that hauntingly sung “My Sooooul” it’s one that you’ve most definitely heard (Earl Grey used it with ‘My Souls On Ice’, among several other usages by other artists). The main section of the tune is a really impressive dollop of well thought out breaks and percussion, a smooth running bass and then the pads wash in and out. This tune would have been a really impressive addition to the ‘Human Elements’ album, but luckily we have it to cherish on this plate. Makoto packed a really concrete slice of musical medicine here. I throughly enjoyed hearing this one again. 

   On Side B, remix duties fall to a producer who many of us are familiar with, for both his output in the D&B world and his extravagant presence. John B has been producing since around 1996. Here, we have a fucking top notch remix of ‘My Soul’ done with his less techno infused ingredients, and more his thunderous bass, and heavy pads armor. John releases the doves from the portholes of his mega metric planet, smoldering on the surface and strengthening within the clouds that stack up into the heavens. The way this handles the electronic drops of John’s 80s electro-trance utilities and empowers the track into a moving and power house of drum and bass is fucking insanely good. A big shout to John and huge props for the killer remix. 

  If you’re loving this one, it’s on Progression sessions 9 which has Makoto featuring this track in his mix. 

   That’s another of the artist 12” releases reviewed, tomorrow it’s onto the next one with a couple of reworks from one of the most prolific artists on Good Looking Records. 

   My blog continues to build on the Good Looking Records label, so it’s here if you are interested.