Artist: DJ Buck
Title: High Lights & 405
f4001

F4001 is from DJ Buck, one of San Francisco's best-known house producers. An original member of Third Floor Productions (alongside Rasoul and B. McCarthy) Buck's spent years crafting hits for his own label, Leaf Recordings, as well as a succession of classics on Doc Martin's Wax, Siesta and Halo Varga's imprint Bluem (this year's Release The Tension getting play well beyond Buck's house roots, finding support across the board from housier DJ's right through to the more eclectic progressive kids).

On the A, '405' represents the classy and eclectic side of tech-house in 2002. With a staggered breaks-house feel, Buck lets loose a chugging bassline and subtle melody that gradually warps into an acidic breakdown that blends both the best of his classic, open-air west coast sounds with the vibe of the UK's more stomping rooms. Cool vocal sample, too.

'Highlights' on the flip is a different beast altogether. This one's a pitched-up, rolling b-line monster with bouncing synths and a distinct electro feel, but in a positive and subtle way. The track meanders and grows without hitting you over the head. It's a grower, and will set well in sets from open-minded, techier DJ's who fancy something melodic and a little unusual.