Sounds

• 10 February 2019

  Elijah – Ice 2 Go (Iridite)

  Kicking off the Sounds section with the first track I had released, Ice 2 Go from the 2002 various artists EP Better by Design. When I get the chance I’ll add more of my released tracks, some old sessions that never saw the light of day, and any new works-in-progress.

  On reflection this one was pretty naive and raw but I can live with that! I was 27 and listening to a lot of John Tejada at the time, and you can definitely hear that influence alongside other typical Detroit Techno stylings.

  I made it in Cubase with a combination of software and hardware. The main bassline sound came from NI Mercury, with an additional bassline from my Walforf Pulse. The drums were programmed in Attack and the main riff with its panning effects was also software-based. The pad and portamento/gliding lead part came from my Juno 106 and Nord Lead 2 respectively.

  Fun fact: the name Ice 2 Go came from a night out in Amsterdam with label-boss Jason and the lovely Lydia during which we asked a bar for a bag of ice to take away to make caipirinhas. A mildly merry Jason first heard then signed the track that very night.

  I remember that DJs like DJ 3000 and Nomadico/Dex from Underground Resistance played it. Closer to home I heard that Hudson Mohawke was a fan and played it at the Sub Club, while Jackmaster was good enough to showcase it in a “lesser-known gems” feature on Radio 1. And nice people who I respect like Mark still rate it, so that’s good enough for me.