The recently released 8 track EP from Binalog Productions sees the Czech Republic’s David Sebastian Greguš aka Hitachi II serving up a night drive synth haven of electro on the couldn’t be named anything else – Tokyo.

Opening track Tokyo City was previously available some 2 years back as a dub version on Advanced Funk Vol 1: also on all things electro, Athens based label Binalog. It’s a statement style slab of proper neon lit electro riding, with the supporting tracks adding to the technoidfunk vibe.

Also included are four remixes, including label owner Binalog. Sure it’s not breaking new ground in the realm of electro, but then not everything has to be the new thing. This is solid, well produced, classic machine funk business.

AE35 (Japanese electro bass DJ Yosuke Ikeda) adds lines of dry acid into Tokyo Beats, stripping the snappy original into a deeper roller with crunch. Binalog takes the arcade machine soundtrack feel of the original into more of a trancey thing, which is fine, but it’s not a scratch on the original.

Fellow Greek Embryonik goes very deep and restrained adding a dark brooding sense of dread to Bullet Train to Greguš’ upbeat pace of the original. Leaning on the bleak of the remix on this one.

Final of eight is the Baxim remix; another take on Tokyo Beats. The original has that classic electro feel, Kraftwerk almost. Almost indeed but not the quite, the being German pioneers untouchable. Love the widescreen synth in the second half. Baxim’s still has the pace. It’s more of a looper thing and as such feels like warm up material or something to slip into a particularly cerebral heavy session. Less in your face, hip harassing, more head nodding in the back corner.

Pretty dope stuff all round really. Like I said, it’s not breaking any new ground at all. It is solid electro bass business.

Grab

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Hitachi II – Tokyo City
Hitachi II – Tokyo Beats
Hitachi II – Bullet Train
Hitachi II – Tokaido Shinkansen
Hitachi II – Tokyo Beats (AE35 mix)
Hitachi II – Tokyo City (Binalog remix)
Hitachi II – Bullet Train (‘Dead Maiko In Kyoto’ mix by Embryonik)
Hitachi II – Tokyo Beats (Baxim remix)