Christian Smith makes his long-awaited debut for Sudbeat with 'Illusion'. Argentinian Ezequiel Arias provides remix support. Swedish superstar Christian Smith has pioneered his funky tech sound since the '90s, playing all over the world and running one of the industry's longest-running labels, the seminal techno imprint Tronic. He's also signed to a bewildering array of labels from elite prog such as Global Underground and Hooj Choons through to huge house and tech brands like Toolroom, Soma and Drumcode. 'Illusion' opens with powerful low-end and sparse percussion. Aimed squarely at the peak time, new elements drift into view with delicate precision, building a head of melancholic steam. Reaching fever pitch midway, the break offers little release before the drop sends us spiralling into dancefloor bliss. On the flipside, label regular Ezequiel offers a steroid-packed prog ride that takes the source material one step further.

Balance Music