The second edition of Moods And Grooves Classics, this time from Mr. G & G. Flame and Demarkus Lewis.
detroit house
Luca Ballerini presents Fucina 045 – Stati Lucidi / Last In Classifica [ MM002]
Luca Ballerini with the 2nd release on Musical Methaphor. This time slightly on a Detroit tip with some classic house tracks with some light melodic topping, and an additional Rio Padice remix who adds some jazzy and funky sample flavor.
Rondenion – Soul Desire EP [RS008]
Roundabout Sounds presents the Soul Desire EP from Japanese artist Rondenion. Two tracks to wet your appetite for Rondenions first full length LP to be released this summer on Roundabout Sounds. Remixes on the flipside by Rick (The Godson) Wilhite and Baaz.
Omar-S – Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself [AOS7000CD]
Alex Smith aka Omar-S with his new album on FXHE. The fourteen tracks on this disc demonstrate Smith’s studio prowess and his dynamic range as a producer – from uplifting house to raw techno beats and acid.
Lamar – Guilty Pleasures EP [AES016]
In anticipation of his forth-coming solo album, Aesthetic Audio’s Keith Worthy fathoms the worlds between the deep house and techno genres on his newest release ‘Lamar’. This double-sided banger methodically blurs raw abstract intensions with melodic chord play and the result is a frenzy of purpose & deep bliss.
A Sagitarriun – Transparent Mind EP [EDREAMS005]
A Sagittarium brandished a fully formed blend of becoming house and techno and a cloak of mystery and both elements to his/her/their identity have remained intact across the smattering of material that has surfaced in the subsequent period. A Transparent Mind is a fine return for A Sagittarium pairing two original productions against remixes from Marco Bernardi and Aubrey.
Santiago Salazar – Rise EP [FS013]
Santiago Salazar the UR DJ, Ican co-founder goes deep after releasing a slew of tracks on Historia y Violencia, Seventh Sign, & our own label in recent years. Lush moods with lots of strings & pads on this 3 tracker.
Generation Next – Lamborghini Dreams [7DAYSENTGN1000]
Generation Next has appeared on some of the Big Strick cuts like Alpha & Omega and Resivior Dogs. The 17 year old is the newest addition to the 7 Days Ent. camp and he brings his first self titled E.P. A four song masterpiece that is sure to move the dance floor.
Agnes – Jedi House EP [VIT015]
Vitalik presents the ‘Jedi House EP’ by Agnes. Agnès is the embodiment of the consummate perfectionist and here on the ‘Jedi House EP’ he makes a welcome return to the dubbed out, chugging house grooves he first became renowned for. Each high hat, each snare, each kick is meticulously crafted. While the EP contains weapons for deeper dancefloors, the audio motifs throughout allow the listener succinct excursions left and right of the underlying musical theme, enabling it to flow from start to finish as one rounded body of music
Patrik Sjeren – Patrik Sjeren EP [FIT008]
New 12″ from veteran producer Patrik Sjeren, with two smooth and bumping House tracks for the A side. On the B side, Sjeren changes it up and gets dark and dirty with two acidic techno tracks.
Motor City Drum Ensemble – Send A Prayer [MCDE1210]
Dani Plessow aka Motor City Drum Ensamle returns to his label for a new EP featuring some Awesome gospel inspired 4 Track House tracks.
VA – Modern Underground Music Volume 2 [BC005]
This is the 5th Black Catalogue release. “Modern Underground Music Volume 2” is another collection of tracks from all sectors of the electronic music underground. This sampler contains some fantastic exclusive tracks from Monty Luke, London’s Ibrahim Alfa Jnr., San Francisco’s Lance De Sardi, the amazing AbJo and brand new artist Kneco Uqdah Jr., hailing from the Detroit. Each track has its own style and fashion and continues Black Catalogue’s commitment to global dancefloor devastation.
Theo Parrish – Dance Of The Medusa [SS049]
Theo’s getting jazzier and more eccentric with age (if that’s possible). On this latest jaunt he seems to be re-tracing the steps of one his biggest influences, Sun Ra. “Dance Of The Medusa” is an experimental jazz number with the emphasis on experimental. Although somehow squeezing into a standard 4/4 time measure, the sounds and syncopation between the instruments is anything but normal, as Theo deploys piano attacks, torn strings and his usual MPC abuse to the track. “Bubbles” sees more experimentation, squelching artifacts ricocheting against detuned hats and hollow bass notes. The whole B side is given to “Ambalamps” which may well become an emotive, melancholic, future-ballad if we were to get invaded by aliens and be facing a huge world apocalypse. Reversed strings and minor key riffs and melodies are smudged and stirred into a dark, introspective blend which screams of desolation and hurt. Indeed a dark venture for our man Theo but then he always liked to keep us on our toes – and the track is, by no mistake, undeniably Theo.
Scott Grooves – BitterSweet [MS003]
Moodymann – Moodymann Classics Vol. 5 [MC005T]
Rick Wade – Detroit Fury [HIZOU003]
Sliding on over to Hizou Deep Rooted, prime purveyor of all things deep and alluring Rick Wade might seem a little misleading with his new EP entitled Detroit Fury. As is evident from the man’s back catalogue, there’s not a lot that’s furious about the Wade sound and it’s here in abundance, with finely balanced drums, moody chords and that healthy dollop of disco velour to make sure everything moves properly. “Heavy” is a particular dream with its expertly wielded keys and lackadaisical tone, while the expressive bass line on “Gambit” will be inspiring ‘hurt-so-good’ faces everywhere.
Nick Anthony – Moonlight Music EP [CONS002]
Simoncino, with his alias Nick Anthony, takes on the second release for the Conservation Department series with a four track EP. The title track leads off and is followed by the killer groove on “Underwater Sunlight”. “Jamaica Girls” & “Lay It On The Line” on the flip bring more disco dance.
Delano Smith – Precipice EP [MM011]
The label boss’s return to his own Mixmode sees him explore earthy house rather than the streamlined beaters that made Odyssey such a smash. Precipice EP has three hypnotic tracks of organic Motor City textures and rhythms. Mariana’s Song builds with the strong fluid motion omnipresent in all Smith’s productions. Mechanical drums drive a rugged analogue bass line, while flowing pads are layered to create a bright soundscape. The track is one to captivate the floor, building effortlessly to lock it into step. Set over a tight locomotive groove, Delano’s talent for twisting up vocal samples creates a smokey, atmosphere on Celebration. Toughening the drums and easing in the bottom end, choice drum fills heighten the impact of the beautifully swung drums. The dusty beats on Dream Come True bounce with a wide eyed rawness. At once fragile and assertive, the soft chords are reclined above a gently insistent bass line to give the floor or the home stereo a comfortable ride. Able to focus the output of his own label on the kind of tracks that first saw him emerge, Delano has built a bridge to introduce new ears to the sound of his city.
Obsolete Technology – Got Wax! #2 [GWX002]
The second Gotwax! EP is a longsided club two-tracker with detroit- and dub-flavoured raw-body-music. Both tracks come from new artist ‘Obsolete Technology’.
Benjamin Brunn – A Sun Life [3EEP201210]
Benjamin Brunn has been honing his distinctive and original sound over a series of intermittent releases. His use of the Nord Modular synth is one of the defining characteristics of his sound. He uses the instrument in a wide-ranging and original way, accompanied by a Roland TR707 drum machine. “A Sun Life” was not conceived as a piece of work with a theme. Over a period of two years, Benjamin Brunn sent tracks to Third Ear. Slowly the album began to take shape and become A Sun Life, an album full of different vibes, different grooves, different flows. “A Sun Life” shows Benjamin Brunn achieving something like a perfection of his sound. All the tracks have a fluidity and viscosity, whether like water or oil or honey .. air or sunlight. They start, flow and grow, shift and shimmer, their latent power held in some kind of check. Then they dissipate and fade.
The Hipodrome Of Music 