Great cosmic lo-fi house jams by Audio Atlas on Hotmix Records.
deep house
Fit Siegel – Carmine / First Found [FIT012]
A moody techno classic perfect for the lonely season. Subtle, low-key and thumping, the title track revolves around a bittersweet piano lead, elegiac 303 and Blade Runner string swells. It’s a high-tech driving song in the tradition of Model 500’s low-key classic ”Pick Up The Flow” and FIT sounds more assured than ever. ”First Found” is Mills-ian jigsaw puzzle techno imbued with breathy and addictive humanity. Stacatto, free-jazz informed piano solos lock into ping-pong synths — eventually, a female vocal emerges over a bed of arpeggiated bass. Loose yet robotic, ”First Found” is first-rate Detroit techno mysticism.
Ben Boe – Leagues To Light Years [BOE026]
Ben Boe drops his very first solo EP on the label he conceived over 8 years ago. Narratives of deep space travel and journeys into the abyss permeate the release from start to finish. Ganymede graces the A-Side with its interstellar funk and sci-fi chords cutting through a heavy atmosphere like that of the namesake moon itself. A sampled, spooky tale of watery destinations round off the a-side and lead into the depths of DEEeeP-r on the flip. Fuzzy saturated textures, whispering chords and heavy bass soften the descent whilst a chopped and maipulated vocal drones “Go Deeper, Stay Longer”. Drawing influence from his home county, the early Sheffield stylings, machine-precision breakbeats and soft harmonies of Atomic Fuzz round off the EP.
Binh – Visions Of Love [PERLON104]
Perlon’s latest release is coming from a lesser known artist, Binh aka he production alias of Berlin based Germann Nguyen. He shows some punchy Perlon-worthy productions skills on the basis of his two tracks here with opener “Visio” a quite haunting cut where stripped back drum programming allows a neat bassline and detailed synth work to shine. Complementing this, it feels like “Ruski” is Nguyen letting his more urgent desires reign free and is likely to become a B side many selectors cherish.
Donato Dozzy @ Goa Club (Rome) 16.01.2015
Ivel Tax – Idel de fel [DB009]
Disco Birds is starting the year 2015 with the label head Levente Imre Takacs aka Ivel Tax. The Romanian born producer brings up his past and current ideas into one full album release, entitled Idel de fel.
Deep88 & Melchior Sultana – Playing Without Moving [12R03LP]
Nautiluss – Aerochrome [DINER003]
Slammin 4-tracker from Canadian producer Nautiluss featuring jackin, club-ready heaters with melodies that hold up outside the party.
The Nuclear Family – Come Dine With Us [TNF002]
The Nuclear Family return with the follow-up to the summer’s After Effects EP – another four tracks of deeper electronics for discerning DJs and dancers.
Manabu Nagaya & Soichi Terada – Low Tension [UTA001]
New label from Alex Bradley touching on Jazz, Techno, House, Ambient, Disco and Boogie through to left-field Cosmic, Balearic Soul and Rock. The first release comes in the form of an essential ambient Japanese house track by producers Manabu Nagayama and Soichi Terada. This highly sought after version of Low Tension originally released on the ‘La Ronde’ EP on BPM Records Japan in 1991, has been remastered for single release for the first time. Also featured, a stripped back rework by cult Japanese producer Yukihiro Fukutomi and Bradley himself with an extended deep, dubby and melodic Utopian mix.
MZKBX – E2322 Space Capsule EP [TPL002]
That Place is a musical journey through the artists emotional and inspirational landscape. The 2nd release on the label is coming from MZKBX aka Sacha Mambo from Macadam Mambo who lives in Lyon and is the resident at Le Sucre. He brings here a taste of his musical roots.
Micronism – Steps To Recovery [DSR/X8]
Delsin kicks off 2015 with Micronism’s Steps to Recovery EP. Originally released on Nurture records in 1999, the EP, which comes in black and limited coloured vinyl, is a bonafide deep house classic from the short live career of New Zealander Denver McCarthy. ‘Engaging Causeless Mercy’ is a contemplative, atmospheric affair with soft drums and celestial pads that could roll and roll forever and you’d never get tired. ‘The Quiet Mind’ is just as deep, but the spiralling pads and rippling melodies here are more colourful and charming. Both tracks are hugely spacious, luxurious affairs whilst ‘Constructing Space’ on the flip is a more stripped back and humid number that is more enclosed and oppressive for cosy back room spaces. Finally, the title track is a playful, elastic house track with heartwarming hooks and pinging drums.
Rio Padice – Looking To The Sky [H1002]
Rio Padice pitches up on Housewax for the Looking To The Sky 12″. The two tracks here explore Padice’s deeper side, but it all still feels vintage in origin, with “Looking To The Sky”, in particularly, coming blessed with the sort of dreamy warmth and undulating low-end shuffle. “Summer Season” is a little brighter and breezier, with twinkling electronics, cheery melodies and drawn-out chords riding a synth bass-heavy late ’80s deep house groove.
Ozel AB – Crimes EP [LT011]
The first Lobster Theremin EP of 2015 comes from London-based newcomer and hazologist, Ozel AB. Striking a distinct tone with his lucid day-dreamer pads, blown-out MPC drums and Werkdiscs-inspired weirdness.
T.R. “Early” Earl – Bad Business EP [NSYDE011]
Christopher Rau, best known for reliable, soothing and airy deep house, debuts on Nsyde with a fresh alias T.R. Early Earl / The Royal Earl Company.
Joey Anderson – Crack Mix 086
Urtzi / Jose Rico – Adventures in Subconsciousness EP [DOWNBEAT009]
Downbeat Black features some heavily cerebral deep house founders Urtzi and Jose Rico. Urtzi impresses with his two contributions, the undulating, pad-heavy bliss of “Memories From Another Life”, and “No Back Memory” – a pensive slither of rich, piano-laden beatdown. Jose Rico opts for a slightly more energetic approach on his two cuts, though both “Small Island” (built around some superb percussion and tumbling chords) and the sun-kissed “Aint” are still lovingly melodious.
John Daly – Shine EP [LFR009]
Irish maestro John Daly kicks of the new year with a release on Love Fever Records. Layered, progressive, modern electronic music with ethereal harmonics and a nod to analogue forefathers is a universal in John Daly’s musical cannon. And with Shine he’s formulated a song that could encapsulate a moment in time at a Love Fever party. That 5am throb. Peaks and lows of a breather in the night, the sweating crowd, the stabbing baseline and fluctuating strings played loud and proud. In short an unstoppable single from a producer on the very top of his game. A Detroit influenced yet clearly very contemporary release with strong support already on this one.
Lerosa – Private View EP [WAKEUP!004]
Lerosa takes his unique approach on house even further. Private View is exactly what its title promises: an exclusive visit into a enigmatic and fascinating world of groove and sound. It’s full of puzzling places and mysterious events. Delicate arrangements and artful sound combinations amount to a unique record without turning to caprice or flourish. Simplicity that makes sense.
Magic Mountain High – MMH Live @ Fuse [MHLIVE001]
The improvised electronics of Dave Moufang’s long running Magic Mountain High project with Juju & Jordash is no stranger to the vinyl format, first appearing on a Workshop 12″ back in 2012 and gracing that label as well as Jordan ‘Jordash’ Czamanski’s Off Minor with further material. However, as anyone that’s witnessed Magic Mountain High in the flesh will attest, the trio are best experienced live, but for logistical reasons that might not always be possible. This 12″ which consists of a recording of Magic Mountain High straight from the mixing desk at Brussels venue Fuse last year will satisfy the cravings of anyone whose yet to see them perform, with three next level deep house workouts to lose yourself in again and again.
The Hipodrome Of Music 