The S-Man done good (Another Chance - Roger Sanchez)

Member Name: samredmore

Product:	Another Chance - Roger Sanchez
Date:	12/07/01 (78 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Uplifting house, 2 good mixes, Best tune of 2001

Disadvantages: Difficult to mix

This year, there have been many excellent house tracks released, with Bel Amour - "Bel Amour", Dirty Vegas - "Days Go By" and The Goodfellas - "Soul Heaven" all emerging as some of the best tunes of the year so far. However, in my opinion, it is Roger Sanchez's "Another Chance" that will go down as the tune of 2001, as Stardust did in '98, Armand Van Helden in '99 and Delerium did last year.

"Another Chance" was released on 2nd July on the record label "Defected", who are already responsible for bringing out top quality tracks such as OnePhatDeeva - "In And Out Of My Life" and Junior Jack - "My Feeling".

In its first week after release, "Another Chance" shot straight to the number 1 slot in the UK singles chart. It also remains a big club anthem as was shown when DJ Pipi, one of the worlds most respected DJs played it on that week's 'Essential Mix', from Pacha, one of the worlds most well-known clubs.

The 12" vinyl copy of "Another Chance" features three different mixes of the track, with the original mix on the A-side and the 'S-Man's Dark Nite Mix' and the 'Afterlife' mix being on the B-side. The mixes all offer something very different from each other, with the original being the classic funky house anthem we all know and love, the 'Dark Nite' mix being a more progressive track and the 'Afterlife' mix being more of a chill-out track.

The original mix is basically an extended version of what is played on the radio. The track has a very catchy, uplifting bass line, and a good tune throughout the track. The track features a slightly obscure vocal of a sample from Toto's "I Won't Hold You Back" saying "If I had another chance tonight, I'd tell you about the things we haven't done". This vocal compliments the track brilliantly and stic
ks in your head long after you listen to it. The bass line and tune are very uplifting whilst the vocals are more depressing, which gives the track a unique feel that it is both a happy and a sad track at the same time. There is one breakdown on this track, which is relatively long. At this breakdown a good piano melody comes into the as it gradually builds up again. A quiet beat starts up only to stop for a brief moment before everything cuts out and there are two "tcha tcha"'s before the beats, guitar, tune and all cut back in. (You'll understand what I mean if you've heard the track).
The track starts with tune straight away with the vocals kicking soon after, making the track frustratingly difficult to mix in if you are a DJ. The end of the track also has no beats as everything breaks down to just the tune, which then suddenly cuts out, making it virtually impossible to mix something in without it sounding too bad. I think maybe the track would be slightly better and more pleasing for me, as a DJ, if at the end beats came back in instead of the track suddenly stopping. However, this may make the track a bit too long.

The 'S-Man's Dark Nite Mix', which is the first mix on side B, is a much darker, moodier and, to be honest, boring mix of the track. This mix doesn't have the bass line, vocal or, as far as I can see, anything from the original. It is a much more progressive track in which not much seems to happen. Although the vocal from the original is gone, there are still some vocals provided by Roger Sanchez himself. These vocals are simply Sanchez saying "If I had another chance tonight". This vocal is repeated throughout the track. There is a breakdown about three quarters of the way through this track in which a few extra sound effects are added, but it still remains a bit too boring for my liking.
The good thing about this mix, however, is that both the start and end are just beats. This
makes it much easier to mix and would have been a welcome addition to the original mix.

The second mix on the B-side is the 'Afterlife Mix'. This is a much more chilled out version of the track and I can easily imagine it will be making an appearance on a chill-out compilation album in the near future. This mix seems very similar to the original at first, which can only be good thing. It starts off with the piano I spoke of from the breakdown on the original before the vocal "If I had another chance" starts playing over a few times. A slow, calm beat then starts as the track starts to pick up the pace a little. There is a breakdown towards the end of the track in which the full vocal comes in accompanied by the piano. This mix remains generally the same throughout without too much changing. This mix is quite short and although I prefer the original, this mix is a very good track to relax to.

To sum up, I would say this the best track of the year so far and would recommend to anybody who doesn't already own a copy to buy one as soon as possible.

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