With a background as a promoter, DJ, and producer going back to 1995, Sammy Goossens is a veteran par excellence in todays techno scene. Starting off with production work on respected techno imprints like Rotation, Re-Load, Tresor, and R&S, he has spent time co-producing for legends like the Suburban Knight and managing Jay Haze’s Contexterrior and Tuning Spork labels. Alongside friend Marcus Vector, they started the Toys for Boys imprint in 2004 and put out a prolific string of releases from top minimal house names like Quenum and Jona while pushing forward their own careers as producers. Now based in Berlin and as active as ever, Sierra Sam honors Caduceus Records for our fourth release, featuring remixes from Jacob Korn, Oliver Deutschmann, and label head Lad.
Witty, drum-machine heavy, and expertly wrought, Dilemma makes a strong statement concerning Sam’s long experience. It’s in many ways a throwback acid jam, but clever sound design separates it from common Chicago imitations, and the change-up in the second half takes things out in a deep, upbeat mood. Rising star Jacob Korn’s reverb-heavy remix thickens the atmosphere and dirties up the drum machines, but Korn again navigates away from old school homage with a strange, floating melody that hovers uneasily next to the steadily-hardening jack of the percussion. Darker is Oliver Deutschmann’s heads-down, techno-leaning interpretation, which loops the drums and melodic hook before heaving bass joins in and changes the mood from modernistic techno to something more idiosyncratic. Lad takes a contrasting angle and brings a heavy dub influence in the skittering, delayed drums and thickly echoed pad while the core charges directly towards the floor.