Talen are two DJs and two producers based in Winterthur Switzerland. Their new single, 'Kingston Book', features Jamaican artists Cutty Ranks and Sizzla. This complete package features eight different versions of ‘The Vibes’ and ‘Sniper Sniper’.

‘The Vibes - A Sizzla Tale’ kicks of this EP with an upbeat and playful reggae style tune. The beat is fun, and I love the vocals. This is true reggae dance stylin’.

‘The Vibes - A Sizzla Tale (Stereotyp Version)’ is darker in its beat. This one is for those serious reggae-loving fans as it’s much heavier and deeper.

Following on with the heavier sound is ‘Sniper Sniper - A Cutty Ranks Tale’. This is complete dubstep and with the vocals running in line with the beat this brings us right up to modern day reggae and some would even say it’s the future of this genre.

‘Sniper Sniper – A Cutty Ranks Tale (Markus Kienzl Remix)’ moves this track into techno and club beats. This has many levels from techno, reggae, dance and even dub. Love it.

There are bonus versions available on this EP but only on the digital versions. There are three mixes of ‘Sniper Sniper’ and one mix of ‘The Vibes’.

The first bonus is the Alien Entertainment Remix of ‘Sniper Sniper’. This has an eerie feeling and sound to the intro but as the tune progresses it turns into a bit of a dance theme with a little bit of light jungle.

The Dillon Dug Remix of ‘Sniper Sniper’ goes on for over 7 minutes and while a little repetitive at times it is certainly entertaining.

The final version of ‘Sniper Sniper’ is the Markus Keinzl Bonus Remix. Personally I didn’t like this mix. It’s a little too over the top on the dub.

The final bonus track is the Alternate Version of ‘The Vibes’. This is powerful in its beat and the vocals are strong. I love the melody played on the dub base. Truly Fantastic.

The New York Book section of this EP features four versions of ‘The Morning Rush’ and ‘Track This’.

‘The Morning Rush - An Oddateee Tale’ has a feel of the City about it. There is somewhat of a rush about this track and I like what I hear. The vocals are smoother but still rough around the edges to keep that street feel.

A playful version of ‘The Morning Rush - An Oddatee Tale’ is the Bit-Tuner Remix. The vocals are staggered making it sound almost like a stutter. The beat is staggered also and it just gives this track a fun vibe.

‘Track This - A Sensational Tale’ brings us back to the dark and grimy streets of New York with its robotic life, which is portrayed, in the vocals of this track. I can see this track going down in all the clubs in New York.

The Al Haca remix of ‘Track This’ is much more laid back and minimalistic. Sometimes you’ve gotta stop and take in everything around you. This is what this tune feels like it is telling you do.

This EP is full of life, vibe and beats! Talen have put their heart and soul into these works and it shows with very different sounds throughout this EP.

8

Helena Rea