Andrew Bayer: Gaff's Eulogy
Anjunadeep

One could label Andrew Bayer's Gaff's Eulogy single deep house but doing so could also prove misleading because it's not deep house in the conventional sense; it's deep house in the literal sense, meaning symphonically deep dance music. His “Gaff's Eulogy” original (which initially appeared as the closing track on James Grant's Anjunadeep 04 CD) starts out in ambient mode, immediately signaling that it'll wend a slightly different path than the standard dance track, before a downtempo beat pattern appears to confirm the impression. With synthetic washes blossoming in grandiose formation, the atmosphere rapidly builds until the track's clearest definition as an epic opus of dramatic dancefloor splendour comes into clear focus—and all of it happening in less than six minutes. Berlin-based producer Ryan Davis recasts the piece as a bubbly melodic techno workout that'll more than satisfy those with an appetite for blissed-out dancefloor treatments. It's a nice complement and contrast to Bayer's version in offering a physically invigorating counterpart to the dreamcasting original. One comes away from the release regarding “Gaff's Eulogy” as a strong teaser for Bayer's sophomore full-length If It Were You, We'd Never Leave from which the track's taken.

January 2013