Clutching At Straws Vinyl & CDs

Review: In case you've failed to notice, 2024 marks the 40th anniversary of Bronkski Beat's breakthrough hit, 'Smalltown Boy'. That has provided Bring Ring an excuse to reissue his superb 2018 cut, 'Big Town Boy, Small City Dreams' - complete with artwork that knowingly nods to the Bronski Beat record. His original mix, a female vocal-led affair in which moody analogue electronics, glistening guitar motifs and memorable synth sounds rise above a throbbing Hi-NRG bassline and Bronksi beats (sorry), appears in extended and edited forms, alongside a fresh rework from long-serving neo-Italo producer Bangkok Impact. His version is simply sublime, adding layers of expressive excess and trippy effects while subtly beefing up the groove and weaving elements of the vocal in and out of the mix. It sounds like an anthem in the making.