The Mexican DJ Robbie Akbal drops a trippy, melodic track ‘Phangan’ with two equally psychedelic remixes.
Robbie Akbal spent years and years building up his reputation as one of North America’s most respected underground artists. The Mexican DJ, known for his mix of earthly percussion and calming melodies over relaxed grooves, has DJed practically everywhere. Audiences of every kind in Berlin, Tokyo, and other cities across the globe experienced his phenomenal brand of House music. Labels like Sol Selectas and Crosstown Rebels released his music long before he started releasing under his own labels.
For years, Akbal released music under his label, Akbal Music, but ‘Phangan’, his latest, came out under Midnight Riders. Under this new label, Akbal plans to bring more focus to the more melodic side of his Organic House music. The title track kicks off with some hearty, thudding beats, followed by watery, pristine programming that suits the mellow vibe. Soothing violins, sharp tapping blocks, and hidden blended bongos also make their way into the track, further enhancing the vibe. But Sidartha Siliceo steals the show, providing stunning and psychedelic sitar playing that runs throughout the majority of the track.
Alex Twin, a Dubai-based DJ, also added his own spin to Akbal’s track, one of two guest DJs doing so. Twin starts by speeding up the track’s tempo, giving it a more upbeat feel and adding more Melodic House elements. The bongos i mentioned before also seem to be more upfront in the mix and play a better role, groove wise. Jim Rider, the UK-based DJ who remixed the track as well, takes a much more different approach with his remix. Of all the tracks on the EP, his version is certainly the most House-centric compared to the other tracks’ organic vibe. Rider adds watery synths layered with more brassy synths on top, as well as rather rattling percussion similar to maracas. This leads to the remix being the overall most sonically different when compared to the original, but incredibly fun nonetheless.
Robbie Akbal wanted to pave another avenue to allow himself to express the more melodic side of his Organic House music. After a successful run at it with his new EP, here’s to hoping he keeps at it in the future.
Image Credits: (Press Kit)
