Syrossian’s pedigree is not to be sniffed at. A record shop veteran (at Leeds’ legendary Crash records, amongst others), the producer/DJ knows house music inside and out. Much like other record store trained DJs, Syrossian has gone on to develop a formidable reputation behind the decks and desks with countless releases, an enviable gig diary, his Breakout Audio label and a radio show (VIVa) serving as outlets for his passion.
Comprising two tracks of house music which balances pin sharp production with forward thinking musical content, ’10 Miles From Lima’ sees Darius in fine form.
The title track is muscular affair, with a thunderous skipping kick punching through the mix from the get-go. Angry synths and bulbous bass stabs steadily add to the body of throughout while subtle string builds and shimmering synth leads flatter the moodier elements.
B-Side, ‘Return of The Favela People’, treads a lighter path in terms of mood but continues to throw some production weight down. Betraying Syrossian’s near-pathalogical love of classic house tropes, ‘Return of The Favela People’ a track that evokes DJ Sneak, Kerri Chandler, Cajual, Henry Street and countless other luminaries while providing a respectful, modern spin.
Unafraid of rousing house music that is crafted purely for the purpose of losing yourself on the dancefloor, Syrossian is a producer doing things just as he wants and if ’10 Miles of Lima’ is anything to go on, that’s no bad thing.[info from mm]