Lifecycle - Techno Notice / Small Part of Me

Lifecycle churns out another relentless assault of breaks with the second release on the Ricochet label. Thankfully the release isn't quite as bad as the appalling pun that makes up its title but Techno Notice doesn't do much to revive the dying breaks genre. The original mix has a promising start and is full of raw, industrial energy but quickly sounds badly dated. Chris Carter is a big name in breaks, and his presence on the mix tracks could be taken as an attempt to rescue the release. His take on the track is a lot more techy than the original, dropping the industrial vibe and replacing it with hypnotic upper melodies and deep, thick bass. His is a more appealing, often freakish mix that moves the whole EP forward. Small Part Of Me finishes off unconvincingly with another for the Annie Nightingale crew. [Don McVinnie]