Sound Signature presents the return of the Essential Selections series. This second studio hook-up between Detroit veterans Theo Parrish and Marcellus Pittman first appeared way back in 2002, some three years after they made their collaborative debut on Sound Signature. Listening again all these years on, we can confirm that the three-tracker hasn’t aged a bit.
Australian label Chubby! is back for a second bout that features further ruminations on how deep deep house can go. Trinidadian Deep returns, this time shoring up on the A side with some of his distinctive percussive patter and soaring, soul-drenched melodics. Vincent Floyd comes on board to deliver a classic, Chi-town flavored version that makes the perfect foil to the fluttering organic tones of the source material. Javonntte is on the B side with ”Jazzy Day,” rolling out the kind of smart, bumping house music, leading with expressive, nimble work on the keys. Patrice Scott steps up for a remix to round the EP out, maintaining the swing but edging some of his swirling, ethereal tones into the mix.
Anthony Naples returns with his second full length album, “Take Me With You”. Originally conceived as a D.J. mixtape dedicated to friends and the time spent with them in the morning hours after the parties over (or beginning) – it quickly morphed into a soft focused meditation on all things warm and intangible. “Take Me With You”‘s message is undoubtedly about escapism, given away by its happy-abductee cover art done by the legend Biscuit— but first and foremost it reflects on that lingering feeling one gets when walking away from the ones they love.
Thomas Xu is a producer and DJ based in Highland Park, MI. This is his debut solo EP and will be released on his label, Steady Flight Circle.
DM003 is a compilation featuring tracks from Omar Santis & Pistol Pete, Keita Sano, Dj Aakmael and Shampoo. Ranging from moody house trax to mystical acid and bitter sweet electro.
Jaime’s take on futuristic chi-town influenced house is present across the selections. Written 21 years ago, the music is more relevant that ever. Serene galactic themes and time travel optimism permeate the collection: the music tells tales of optimism rather than the bleak images carved by other similar compositions of the time.
Raf Reza joins Heart To Heart with ‘Moods From the Muiltiverse’. This record feels familiar yet foreign, the tracks are like a transmission from across the expanse, awakening zones of the mind that were long dormant.
Dan Piu is releasing his first full album with unreleased tracks since 1999. A collection of beautiful Chicago & Detroit sounding pieces that he created throughout the last centuries.
Serbia’s Soul Print Recordings returns after a year away, with four pieces of beautiful and emotive deep house from the Englishman Mark Hand. The record kicks off with Midnight, a beautiful track with it’s floaty pads and gently rippling bass tones, coupled with the great soulful voice of Greg Blackman. False Leads is a percussive number, drenched in machine soul, with on the flip, Sio’s voice sits effortlessly above a downtempo beat, while Mark adds his late father’s saxophone to the mix on the final jazz enfused Mountains.
The elusive producer ‘Nortasun’ hasn’t released a record since his debut ‘One’ through SAFT back in 2016. After two years, it’s time for a follow up which is fittingly named ‘Two’. The track titles also resume in a fashionable manner with the opening track being titled: ‘Untitled 3’. On this track, Nortasun introduces a firm rhythm that is supported by the impossibly beautiful strings that serve as the tracks key element and appear throughout. Next up is the ‘AntonZap’ remix. AntonZap doesn’t do the stereotypical remix take on the original. His version is dub laden, otherworldly, and only implements miniscule pieces from the original take. With just under 7 minutes, the remix version is a true sonic voyage.
Baltra returns to Of Paradise with his ‘Can’t Explain It’ EP, a kaleidoscopic and dazzling journey through the heart and soul of raw and hazy house music.
London based Doppelate is next up on X-kalay offering some Detroit house inspired club jams. From the languid sleaze of the sawtooth bassline on “I Can’t Get You Out of my Head” to the pin point congas and rainforest vocal shots on “Johnny Longneck”; the A side is a functional and groovy affair, stripped back to the essentials in typical Doppelate fashion. The B side takes a slightly more playful approach – Pila Pala Kisses utilizing looped pianos and some tongue in cheek percussion work before turning out a beautifully mesmerizing melody. “Club Canyon” closes things out in more understated tones; crisp hats skip over the lazy staccato bass whilst the dreamy pads induce an all too welcome state of haze.
While perfectly fitting the deep house cabinet, this EP taps on various styles within this genre. Jayson Wynters sets the pace with Sherella’s Kiss; a powerful groove and beautiful chord pads embedded in an upbuilding percussive atmosphere. This is a very personal track from Jayson and this dedication to ‘Sherella’ is testimony to the immortality that can be found in the power of a soulmate. Italian artist Duccio delivers a melodic track with mediative vocals while Ukraine’s Kiddmisha gets his well deserved second appearance on Batti Batti with an immersive electro cut. Hailing from Chicago, the artist Weakmassive makes his debut to the label with a smooth acidic track which could be a perfect opening or an encore to a long night out.
‘Multiverse’ is a word used to describe an infinite group of disparate universes including the ones currently inhabited by humans. A myriad of realms that sit side by side, undetected by our senses, surround us at any given moment. The multiverse theory was first confirmed by tracking leakage of electromagnetic waves filtering from one dimension into the next. When these waves were transposed to fit into frequencies audible by the human ear, the recordings were studied by a team of scientists, who found that they contained rhythmic elements that resembled a speech pattern of an alien language.
DâM-Funk has left his LA home for another DJ tour across the European continent. What better way to celebrate this than to release a follow-up record to the infamous Architecture release from 2016. Architecture II is an up-tempo, dreamlike journey through the sonic palette of the Los Angeles based producer. The 12” contains four tracks that are carefully crafted to co-exist on the same record. ‘In The City’ is a drum oriented breeder with a constantly evolving bass line, that supports the cheerful and breezy melodies. ‘Best Weekend’ is dripping with lush synthesizer tones and meaty drums. DaM-Funk knows how to set a hazy atmosphere, the conflicting tones of the sophomore effort are impressive. ‘Best Weekend’ is a must hear for lovers of the DF repertoire. The B-side is opening up with the warm sounds of ‘Bounce’. The artist’s signature basslines thump away whilst a breezy chord and some exceptional FX work help to achieve a sense of lightness. ‘Don’t Give Up’ is a work of challenging Piano riffs and splashy synthesizers that evolve through and sometimes come together in an abundance of modulation and joy.
Returning to Scissor & Thread, Aakmael and label boss Harris cook up an intoxicating vibe across this 5 track EP. Each shares a track and work together on the fifth, while also remixing each other’s solo cuts.
