Infamous Light Recordings

ILR 002: Tarik Alj - Frosted Tea EP

"...another cracking ep of low-slung deep tech-house. i think what i like most about these four tracks, having listened to them half-a-dozen times during the last week, is their pared-down simplicity; admittedly the sound palette is fairly small but then absolutely nothing goes to waste or is used indulgently. the rolling basslines are particularly superb (check the groove created on "funeste"), the drums sprightly and the 'hats snappy. more tools than anything else, these will surely work as well alongside minimal gear as they will with more traditional (and punchier) warm-up club stuff.)" Ciaran Walsh, Tech House List (UK).
"Now I'm one that prefers not to play on CD decks. I'm one of those that would be labelled as a vinyl puritan I suppose. For me personally, the tactile nature of turntables is part of the experience. So, Infamous Light Recordings, paving the way for a new method of label management (digital labels) comes along for the second time in a row and absolutely forces me to dust off the CD deck and get it back into the setup. This is one of those releases that has so much to it that any leaving it behind simply out of preferene for vinyl would be a real shame. With all 4 tracks on the EP being well above the horizon, the highlight for me is the lead off track "March". Coming in strong and hard with a good bass kick and minimal clutter it's very DJ friendly without being too simplistic. Razor sharp kicks and mid work give the track a good swing and set the stage for the saturnine bassline. With an ever so minimal vocal, the track touches on giving a very slight quirk angle while keeping the focus on staying straight foward. Perfect as a set opener, or late night groove for a chilled out room full of enthusiasts - it's bound to raise a few brows." Ryan G, NYCE Records (CAN).
"Infamous Light are one of a new breed of labels that are cropping up, and will continue to crop in the coming months and years ahead, as the music industry goes through an inevitable change to Digital only distribution. Based solely in the virtual world, ILR�s releases can only be purchased as MP3 downloads. The way ahead. Tarik Alj, a newcomer to the production world takes the helm of the second release from ILR, and shows superb promise with this EP. Mixing deep and experimental elements to forge a superb EP of funky and innovative Tech House. More please." Rating: 3.5 stars, August 2004. Piliavin & Zimbardo, i-DJ Magazine (UK).
"really nice...Ideal for my warm up stuff...all are pretty good! my fave is the 4th one [Neige]...Have played out a few times and has worked pretty well!!" Derek Taylor, M8 Magazine (UK).
"ilr's 2nd release comes from Canadian producer Tarik Alj. This is Tarik's debut international solo release. The Frosted Tea EP contains 4 tracks of minimal lo-fi techno-house. All tracks have powerful, superbly produced bottom-end, and are topped with delicate but haunting melodies, atmospheres, and micro electronic sounds. Brilliant." PJ, Infamous Light Recordings (AUS).
"Tarik Alj has given us a really nice piece of work. With menacing basslines and intelligent drum programming, Tarik challenges his listeners to stay still. Dreamy atmospherics melt their way in your ears while sounds of foreign lands shine boldy atop this EP. The Frosted Tea EP is deep and dark, and certainly deserves some attention." Brian Ffar, Beatcode/F4 Music/Proton Radio (USA).
"I played Neige this weekend. I really liked the dark acid feel to this track. It is the stand out track for me of the four and is great for working the early parts of the night. Nice and funky...a very dance floor friendly track! Will chart this..." David Michael, Beatcode/Planet East/The Basteroids (USA).
"4 ultra deep tracks with lots of atmosphere and moodyness. low slung bass lines that work really well for both home and club listenning. for me the stand out track is no.2. minimal and dark yet really groovy throughout. great atmosphere created by the strings. waiting for the right opportunity to play no.4 out too. keep it for the early hour sessions!" Darren Allen (Ireland).
"Cool Quirky grooves that are really well produced...great to have in the arsenal." Kazell, Liquified/Spundae (USA).
"...March and Neige are the standouts and work as dj tools in a warmup situation. Some interesting sounds in each...March is my fave, (sounds a little like minimal FC Kahuna)...a solid release..." Mike Traylor, FNX Radio (USA).
"...another brilliant release...I love track 3 [Ketouak]...will chart it highly..." Christian Oliff, city16 (UK).
"...sounds really nice...keep me in the loop..." Andrew K, Pure Substance Records (Greece).
"The fourth track [Neige]...funky beats...funky percussion...sublime acid sounds...another dark track..." Cristian Vargas (UK).
"Great production from Tarik Alj on this ILR 4 track release. Haunting and deep tech sounds. Featured this on my radio show." Switch, Pulse Radio (AUS).
"Techhouse DJs would do themselves a huge favor in picking up this release and injecting something original into their sets." Scott Siesennop, Alphahouse (USA).
"I definitely feel the techy approach and the great atmospheric beat arrangement..." Linus, Exun Records (Germany).
"Slightly deeper and weirder than your first release but still very good. My favourites on the CD are March & Neige, both are sort of deep and techy with some interesting sounds and great production work. All in all a very solid package of 4 very nice tunes." Greg Benz, Aurium Recordings (CAN).