Since its inception in 2008 Bonzai Basiks has made its goal to bring only the very best sounds to the masses. With its roots now firmly in the tech house, techno arena we thought it fitting to deliver some of the finest classic techno cuts from one of world's most prolific artists, namely Orlando Voorn. Simply titled - Classics, this one is full of some of his earliest works from a number of aliases he used, 11 of the best tracks from 7 different guises to be exact, complete with some outstanding remixes. Orlando Voorn is revered as having brought the sounds of Amsterdam and Detroit together to create a unique flavour that still rings true today. Having won the Dutch DMC championship in 1986 he then turned his hand to producing. Since 1991 he has been churning out quality techno and he soon got noticed by the likes of Juan Atkins and Derrick May both of whom he has worked with extensively. A fan of many genres of music including Hip Hop, Electro, Drum n Bass, Techno etc..., he used a string of aliases - 31 at last count - with some gaining huge popularity. One of his best known guises is Format which was the project that gave us the superb Solid Session on the legendary ESP Records, one of the most sought after techno cuts of 1991 and beyond. His story goes on and on and on and we're delighted to have this guy at Bonzai Basiks and we hope to see more from him in the future.
First up on this rip roaring pack we get a tasty treat from Orlando Voorn and Juan Atkins under their Infiniti guise. Game One is a perfect example of an energetic techno slice from 1994, this one made you move and got right up under your skin with its infectious groove. As a bonus we also get a remix from Steve Rachmad and here he beefs up the sound and adds a deeper element with strings and a brilliantly executed stab sequence.
Format #1 gave us one of the most iconic techno tracks of the early nineties. Solid Sessions gets the remix treatment from Vince Watson and Legowelt. Scottish producer Vince's pacey remix from 2011 delivers a sublime techno groove that simplified the melody and added perfectly balanced layers to beef up the groove. Dutch maestro Legowelt's 2011 remix offers up a wonderfully textured slice of techno. Here he focused in on the melodic elements while building a solid wall of drums around a hypnotic bassline and cool acid licks.
Limited Edition - The Light is a classic from 1992 and showcases Orlando's producing and sampling skills to the max. Such a perfectly executed track with mesmerizing stabs and chords that take on many persona throughout the track building up a solid techno groove, simply magical.
Fix was one of Orlando's longer running projects and in 1992 we got the first incarnation - Flash and Dope Computer on Kevin Saunderson's KMS label. Flash can only be described as a robotic funky techno slice, this appealed to many and got major playtime in many sets. Dope Computer appeared next to Flash in its original form, but here we've been graced with a remix from techno master Ken Ishii. Ken does as Ken does and he knocks it outta the park with this one. A sublime transformation from the original, acidified and discofied to the max.
Up next Orlando gives us two tracks under his own name - Face and Wiggle. Face is a straight up in your face techno cut that pounds out a solid groove with a cool deep vocal and probing bass alongside surreal synths and strings. Wiggle delivers a fast paced slice with a superb drum arrangement. The track soon turns mysterious with a myriad of synths at play to the backdrop of a fantastic bass drone.
The 1993 techno cut Midi Merge from Orlando's Complex alias quickly rose to become a go to track for many techno jocks. Pounding beats and a string of complex synth notes played havoc with the senses as surreal pads brought an air of calmness to proceedings. This one is still fresh today.
Rounding off this Classic album we have Tank with Bite Before You Bark from 2004 and moves to showcase a more electro approach with a very cool and tight drum arrangement that borders on D n B. Squelchy sounds, harsh basses and trembling synths are all at play here and combine brilliantly to form a classy groove.
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