Colours by Luke Chable & Danny Bonnici

Danny Bonnici and Luke Chable are very familiar with each other’s studios. In 2003, they collaborated to produce the ebullient classic ‘Ride,’ arguably the standout release in underground dance that year. However, seven years passed before Chable & Bonnici rekindled that partnership, resulting in 2010’s ‘Colours’: a delightful release which wears its whimsical heart on a very charming sleeve.

If ‘Ride’ epitomized care-free mid-00’s prog, ‘Colours’ is imbued with the spirit of 2010. It’s a radiant drive atop a sunlit melody and kaleidoscopic tones that will embed itself deep into your psyche. Drawing inspiration from that year’s more vogue-ish releases, the brilliance of ’Colours’ lies in the light-hearted clarity delivered by Chable & Bonnici: a stonking drum section and a melodic motif that lingers in you like a pleasant memory. Today, ‘Colours’ feels as nostalgic as it’s vital; a love letter to a time we never knew would pass us by, or at worst, an invocation of a pre-Covid era that seems a million miles away.

Dutchman Alex O’Rion extends his streak of platinum productions with a refined update. Warmer tones soften the edges, which burnishes the energy with more tranquil textures. Warm risers and smart fx frame the melody, engaged in a playful interaction that is in complete flow with the casual bass line. All the parts add up to a joyous progressive union – a beautiful organic dance that never feels contrived.

Finally, Danny Bonnici revisits his breakbeat roots with a delightful re-rub, paying homage to an era when progressive breaks reigned king. Skittering snares and shuffling hats play off each other; the percussion contrasting sharply against the consistently moving bellow of the Hoover-like bass. Keeping the original melody front centre, it eventually explodes post-breakdown into a dizzying arpeggiated variation. If you want to know why Danny Bonnici is considered a breakbeat don, look no further.

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