DJ Ink - Mood Music download free

It felt as though when Barcode Recordings became the 4th label run by the TOV Music Group in 2003 that Renegade Hardware became the dumping grounds for rehashed techy beats that devolved into dime-a-dozen filler in the mid 2000's, with all the edgy, innovative hard beats getting pressed on the Barcode label. Gone were the days of Konflict, Usual Suspects, and Loxy+Ink pushing the sound into uncharted territory, where the tracks were raw, unbridled, and downright futuristic. Vicious Circle and Resonant Evil 12"'s weren't doin' it for me, then after sagging into mediocrity for a few years, Ink's Mood EP and the Carpe Diem album hit HARD. This is one of the last releases b4 TOV declared bankruptcy and the label re-started it's catalouge #'s under independent ownership. The real destroyer on this 4 pack is the Gabriel team-up title track, "Mood Music", with devastating amens, an instantly recognizable Loxy+Ink-esque synth, and a truly haunting female vocal repeating "Power...Control." The C-side "Need You" remix I was amazed by, as the original and all the other remixes quickly became my least favorite track of 2002 and would always force me to leave the dancefloor and check out the other rooms at the party, or if listening on a CD/MP3 my finger would always reach for the fast-forward button. Phobia really does an impressive job on the remix, with crisp breaks and an energy that the original vastly lacked. B side Infamous Mind is the only real filler, but still a groovin' techy stepper, and D side Gunrunner is another mover n shaker with fantastic bass and synth progression. Fast forward 8 years since it's release to me writing this review, and the Mood Music EP remains fresh and is some of the best RH in their old catalogue from release 050 onwards.