Renato Ratier – Black Belt (The Remixes Vol.2)

Label: D-EdgeScore: 8/10

Renato Ratier has long been considered one of the elder statesmen of Brazil’s house and techno scene, but his is an agenda that’s increasingly pandering to a more international agenda. Nowhere is this more evident than on Black Belt (The Remixes, Volume 2), where a slew of productions from his much-loved debut album are given a new lick of paint by a seriously impressive roll call of contemporary heads. It’s Laura Jones’ bassline-heavy take on ‘’Guiexastar’’ that opens proceedings. Pummeling but classy, the Leeds native wonderfully sets the tone for what’s ahead here.

German’s M.A.N.D.Y might have been relatively quiet on the production front over the past few years, but their remix of ‘’3 Bulls’’ is nonetheless a fine effort that emphasizes their continuing relevance to the scene. Boris Werner really showcases his musicality on his genre hybrid remix of the title track, as does Anderson Noise, who remixes his compatriots work excellently as he tackles ‘’Fetisshu’’ with a similar sort of curious flair that characterized the original. My pick of the bunch, however, has to be Phil Kieran’s expert piano-laden motif of ‘’Jamaicanese’’. The Northern Irishman has long been considered a fine purveyor of such sounds, and he grabs the opportunity with both hands here, as he duly serves up a remix that’s got ‘epic’ written all over it in big bold letters.

The good news here is that the LP’s tail end is just as tantilising. Cynosure man Mike Shannon, Trouw resident Nuno dos Santos and Visionquester Ryan Crosson all crop up, and while Crosson’s remix is a bit oddball in the extreme, the other two serve up expert sounds that are sure to fit the more steady of the night’s moments. In all, this is a gorgeous accompaniment to an original LP that made quite the statement in its own right