Traces

Having played an influential part in the house and techno scene for the better part of the last decade, Simon Baker has made a name for himself as one of the UK’s most respected producers, and now present’s his highly anticipated debut album “Traces”. Acclaimed singles released through pioneering labels such as Playhouse, Get Physical, Cocoon and of course 2020Vision, and constantly traveling the globe playing at the best clubs in the world have continually honed Simon’s sound to the classic sounding, richly produced electronic house music that makes up his debut album. The clamor for his debut artist album has grown steadily over the past few years and, in March 2011, the long player ‘Traces’ will be released on his home label 2020 Vision. The album effortlessly balances Simon’s trademark club tracks with a more musical, refined sound that has been developing steadily over his past releases. Grey Area has been one of the stand out tracks of his dj sets for months, and is just one of the album tracks which is equally suited for basement parties and Space terrace as it is as part of the album experience. The two collaborations featuring vocals from new finding Debukas, No Pressure and Let Me In punctuate the album perfectly and provide a classic soulful edge, as does Someone Like with its superb, uplifting pianos, these tracks prove Simon is now capable of working with musicians to fulfill the widescreen visions of his music. He also knows when a more delicate touch is called for and tracks like Reversal and Think! sit perfectly on the album as house music more fitting for headphones than dancefloors and follow in a rich tradition of the deep, soulful electronic music 2020Viosion is renowned for. It’s good to see Simon has avoided the usual pitfalls of the debut album for the dj/producer, there are no downtempo excursions, no guest list of big name vocalists and thankfully no soundtrack for an imaginary film. He’s kept to his