Sorrow Show Ep Space System

Space System hail from Jakarta, Indonesia and are part of the Space Rec. collective who have released a wealth of wonderful music (mainly under the radar) over the last couple of years. In 2009, they sent their debut album to JD Twitch who was instantly smitten by their unique sound, incredible, beautiful production and startling originality. He instantly asked if he could release two of the standout tracks on vinyl and over a year later, here they are. When music is this great and this timeless, a year means nothing. Lead track "Sorrow Show" is wild synthetic ride with Moogs set to stun, lush strings and a live drum sound. It is an epic track whose inner beauty reveals itself as it progresses. A squelching bassline and echoed piano arpeggios betray a depth of emotion that is hard to find in so much electronic music. It calls to mind something that Carl Craig might have made had he hailed from Jakarta. "Petik" is the hidden gem here. Fusing traditional Indonesian Gamelan sounds with a skippy house beat, it unfolds into an exotic masterpiece - Fourth World Disco. Optimo Music likes to keep everything in the family so on side 2, Twitch invited King Of Town who had him play in Johannesburg in 2009 to remix "Sorrow Show". As well as becoming firm friends, Twitch was a huge admirer of KOT's (now resident in London) remix work. His remix for Tigersushi of Desmond and The Tutus "Kiss You On The Cheek" is a secret classic amongst those who know. For his "Sorrow Show" remix, he keeps all that makes the track so majestic but veers it into slightly more straight 4/4 territory. Finally, JD Twitch remixes "Nocturnal" from Space System's second album. This was originally made for a Space Rec. digital release but Twitch reworked that mix for this vinyl release. Initially Twitch was a bit wary of remixing it as he has only ever remixed "songs" before, but ended up being delighted with the results - an understated, late night track that a few people who have heard it have said is somewhat reminiscent of the "Jungle Book" and certainly takes direction from Twitch's love of 1950s exotica.