Smart Systems – The Creator

Released on:
Pulse Four
EarthBeat
The Pulse EPs

Also known as:
Creator

Runtime: 4:30 (Pulse Four), 2:58 (Earthbeat CD), 4:22 (The Pulse EPs)

Beginning with a sample from 1956 sci-fi movie Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, ‘The Creator’ is not your typical Smart Systems track. Previous releases had been hardcore rave workouts, complete with hoovers, whistles and crowd samples. ‘The Creator’ feels mellow in comparison, although still on the darker end of things. Eerie synth pads and somewhat light breakbeats place the track stylistically closer to something one might expect from Indo Tribe rather than Smart Systems (although a robotic voice announcing the project’s name does at least tie it to the alias’s rave roots). The overall mood is sinister and creepy, fitting the sci-fi horror vibe of the track’s film sample. While atypical, it remains one of the most popular Smart Systems tracks, and, like a lot of Pulse Four, exemplifies the gradual merging of the various aliases into one core FSOL sound.

For its reissue on Earthbeat and The Pulse EPs, ‘The Creator’ was edited somewhat. As all versions fade out, this is simply a case of the fade coming a few seconds earlier on the latter, and a minute and a half earlier on the CD version of the former. The Earthbeat CD featured some brutal edits to fit all 16 tracks due the red book limitations at the time, and ‘Creator’ (as it is labelled there) is possibly the worst affected.

Credits
Composed by Brian Dougans / Garry Cockbain (Pulse Four).
Written by Brian Dougans and Garry Cobain (Earthbeat).
Written by Brian Dougans / Gaz Cobain (The Pulse EPs).
Produced and mixed by The Future Sound of London.
Produced by Yage (The Pulse EPs).
Engineered by Yage.
Recorded at Earthbeat Studios 92.