Booka Shade - Charlotte

The dynamic German duo return with the lead single from their new album The Sun And The Neon Light – and in comparison to their previous material it’s got the gently uplifting mood of Night Falls but with a lot more oomph to it. Like a crazy, digitised electro-pop frenzy of a song, the hazy, dosed-up vocal floats over chugging bass, sprightly, crisp percussive elements and their characteristically big, succinct synth hooks. It’s got a euphoric summery tint to it, and represents a very pleasing progression from their previous material.
 
The Remix goes for a slow build, focusing on the more subtle elements of the track and infusing them with a low-slung acid house b-line before we’re dropped into the breakdown and the main hooks start to unravel. The vocal is more or less stripped away. Booka’s No Pain No Gain Mix brings things down to a more subdued level, with dubby vocal edits and the hooks of the original mostly appearing one at a time to give a less cluttered, stripped-back feel.
 
Dubfire isn’t saying that much on his remix – dull plodding 2-note bass, shuffling hi-hats and a cut-up of the lead riff is pretty much all we get and it’s not enough to hold your interest. Matchbox turn in a nice, moody interpretation with sharp techno synths punctuating the rhythm and a retro, proggy feel to the proceedings.
 
It’s all about the original and remix though essentially.