Weathering the storm

Batten down the hatches - there's a storm blowing in. Techno pair Christian Smith and John Selway are in rude health right now with massive debut album 'The Coming Storm' out now on Sino Records, and tracks being rinsed by everyone from Dave Clarke to Armin Van Buuren. They've hit upon a fresh new sound with a melodic sensibility and bags of techno groove, funk and attitude.

"We had the most success when we did tracks that way, techno that wasn't too hard, that was more accessible," observed Selway.

"We wanted to make tracks that different kinds of DJs can play, to make an album that incorporates all the different styles that we're into."

From the ambient lushness of 'Slow River', through the title track's building squelch funk and percussive rhythms, and the minimal mind tricks and effects of 'Transit Time', the album runs the full gamut of electronic styles. But not content with the album alone, they've a glut of new material ready to surface for various labels, with a remix of Valentino Kanzyani's 'Zvijaca' out now on Circle Music, and monster new cut 'Point to Point' scheduled for November on Renaissance, which Smith is excited about.

"We've never been purists," said Smith, "so we made a track that's a bit more on the melodic side, just very musical. And I thought that Renaissance might be a good outlet for this track. It's melodic tech-house. There are lots of melodies on the album, so it's similar to that."

A new cut for Dubfire's Sci + Tec Digital Audio imprint, 'Push Factor,' is also out now with a remix from the label head himself. And the duo are set to record a special new live mix album - but they can't reveal the location just yet.

"We want to do a live mix where you hear the vibe of the crowd, screaming and cheering. We did one before at Womb in Tokyo and it turned out really good, so we want to do it again," explained Smith.

You can't fail to be swept away by Smith and Selway's grooves.