[Livity Sound]

Like many of the most interesting labels, Livity Sound operate in a highly self-contained artistic sphere. Three producers, a singular aesthetic, and a shared vision of delivering brutally effective, sub-laden tracks on loudly pressed vinyl. Regis once spoke of his desire to release “great slabs of music, forsaking any form of melody or traditional structure.” And while one probably wouldn’t go that far with the Bristol collective (their tracks are, after all, imbued with high structure, a well-oiled whelp) the idea of “giant slabs of music” chimes perfectly. It is music that simply has to be heard on a system to make spatial sense; personally speaking, listening on a home stereo or headphones gives a captivating sense of “what if?” A glimpse of the mountain on the horizon, so to speak — a hypothetical towering stack casting a psychic shadow.

This 12″ is the first in a series of remixes, and the pairing of MMM and Pangaea makes good sense, due to their shared affinity for body-block sonic warmth and efficiency. The former are up first with a devastating take on Pev and Asusu’s “Surge.” A tsunami of tense modulation, pounding kicks and perfectly placed snares this remix is undoubtedly the most overtly “big-room” tune to be released thus far on the label. It flips the raw drone of the original into something of titanic proportions. To be frank, this is polished stadium techno done very well indeed. Peak time at Corsica Studios or Berghain? Sure, but it’s worth noting Chris Liebing raises his hands to an adoring throng of quarter of a million at the Loveparade. The original was a bare bones rattler, suited to the back room, and MMM have pumped it full of steroids and sent it to Venice Beach.

Pangaea continues the widescreen theme with an equally pounding and direct take on Pev & Kowton’s “Vapours” that hinges on a whip-crack sub and snare dynamic, thwacking wood block percussion and high tempo; it’s terrifically powerful stuff. And while the naysayer may argue that such overtly amped dynamics might be better suited to a different label, bear in mind that the profile of Livity Sound has grown exponentially over the past 12 months. The biggest rooms are where they often find themselves. These remixes do a fine job of transferring the subtler intricacies of the originals to career around more cavernous spaces.