Tuesday 30 March 2010

Tolga Baklacioglu - Blues EP

Deep house all the way from Turkey here, peeps!

There are three tracks in all: I Blues, You Blues and You Blues [dub KULT Remix]. I Blues is pretty much your straight-up deep house (from the more soulful end of the spectrum). You Blues is my pick of the two though, partly for the super-lush chords/stabs and partly because of the wailing backing vox that give the track that little extra Turkish twist. dub KULT, meanwhile, takes us down a slightly techier path, but without losing any of the track's essential soulfulness… and also makes more of that weird backing vocal.

I've never found myself having good times on bad drugs in the back streets of Ankara, so I can't swear down that this is what it would sound like, but you get what I'm saying.

Out: Today!

About: This is on Living Records, which is dub KULT's London-based label and has been going since 2006 – find 'em on that t'internet here. Tolga Baklacioglu, meanwhile, is Turkish and – so Discogs has just informed me – has had previous releases on Psycle Records, Lebendsfreude Records and Multi Vitamins. More info at his MySpace.

Saturday 27 March 2010

A round-up thingummy Pt 2

Carrying on my penitent round-up of things I should have been telling you about but haven't, here's some good records that have come out in the past seven days…

Various - Remixes Part 1 (Disclosure Project Records)

This is what it’s all about – quality deep house on a label you’ve never heard of, by artists you’ve never heard of. Go seek!


Argenis Brito - Sonidos Retocados (Introduction Records)

A new label out of Edinburgh with an excellent second release of what they’re callling ‘mechanical funk’


Ben Tom - Corner Store Pimp EP (Temple Music Group)

Check the Jas Who? remixes


Cesium - Balance (Ooze)

More from Ooze in that ‘deep prog that’s actually quite all right’ vein


Daniele Papini - September Black EP (Kling Klong)

Very Berlin, and rather good


D’Zeta & Basile - Stuck (1Trax)

1Trax goes down a slightly techier path with this one


Mike Monday - Your Body (Veryverywrongindeed)

Berlin-style house/techno with a hint of acid


Ptaah - This Is Imaginary (Street King)

Bit of an 80s sheen to this but it’s one of the best things Street King have done so far, I reckon


Sabrina Johnston - Friendship (Slip N’ Slide)

The Peace songstrel of yore teams up with Harry ‘Choo Choo’ Romero for some no-nonsense house action


Tolga Fidan - Sexually Responsive (Freak N’ Chic)

Quite leftfield-y, very deep, rather good


Tom Lown - Love Potion (Lost My Dog)

You can always rely on Lost My Dog for some quality deep house and they don’t disappoint here!


RIGHT THEN, that's us about back up to date. Apologies to all of the above for not getting some more in-depth love… but hopefully normal This Is Why We Dance service can now be resumed. Some corkers coming up next week…

A round-up thingummy Pt 1

Right, sorry, I've been stupidly busy last couple of weeks, what with the day job, reviewing some robot vacuum cleaners (no really), plus the launch of our new Sunday residency Original Sound Track and trying to organise my birthday party.

I have been remiss and the blog has taken a bit of a back seat. Sorry. But had I been blogging the past two weeks, here's what I'd have been blogging about: some releases that get the official This Is Why We Dance seal of approval, starting with stuff that came out last week (ie, w/c Mar 15)


Andrew Grant - Tre Pro Quimby EP (Barraca Music)

There's a track on here called Jazz Piano Triumph. And very aptly-named it is too! Just ace.


D.U.S.K - Patience (Delecto Recordings)


Good Parts - More Rerubs EP (Star-Fi Recordings)

More cheeky re-edit type business from the Star-Fi boys


Master Cris - Magic Box EP (Save Room Records)


Ripperton - Random Violence [Joris Voorn Green Mix] (Green)

Check this even if you didn’t like the album, Voorn’s version is much better and a lot housier.


Moonface - Power People (Endemic Digital)


The Revenge - Forever In Their Debt (Home Taping)

Only the fourth release on very checkable new UK imprint Home Taping. Find 'em on MySpace here.


Tristan Garner Vs Crystal Waters - Gypsy Woman [Remixes] (Slip N’ Slide)

Better than you think it’s gonna be, I assure you.


Phonogenic & Sasse - Chi Chi EP (Dieb Audio)


Wascal - Attention Deficit (Rocstar)

One for the dubstep crew

Wednesday 17 March 2010

Alex Flatner & Oliver Klein - Outlandos

This is a bit more techno than would normally find its way onto This Is Why We Dance, but as techno goes it's pretty cool.

The original mix is also pretty straightforward, just a drummy loop that doesn't really go anywhere much, although it does have some nice space disco stabs. Better though is the Santos Provocation Remix on the flip, which goes down a slightly deeper path but also has these kind of spaceship-taking-off noises in the background (nothing so cheesy as a countdown I don't mean, just a steadily rising, rushing synth sound) for added tension.

Like I said, a bit techno-y for me really, but not a bad bet for those locked-on, lost-in-the-groove kinda moments.

Out: Now

About: This is on Circle Records, which is Flatner's own label, and it's the labels 26th release. There's a website here but it doesn't seem to have been updated for a while.

Tuesday 16 March 2010

Lovebirds - Deep, Down & Discofied

I is havin' one of those weeks. One of those weeks where you're behind with absolutely everything and being pulled in 27 different directions at once, and next seem to have a moment yourself sometime in 2019. So apologies if the blog updates are a bit infrequent!

Still I do have five minutes right now and this one's nice and easy to tell you about cos Lovebirds has kindly done it for you in the EP title! Three tracks, and every one a cracker. You know how certain German producers have been kind of reprising that late-’90s disco house sound? Well so it is on the three tracks here, particularly on The Ride, which would sit perfectly happy alongside the likes of I Feel Good Things For You or Needin' U or Salsoul Nugget or… you get the picture. My pick though is Mandrill, which is a bit more deep and nu-disco-y.

I'd have happily put this in iDJ but it came in WAY too late… still, that's what this blog is for, innit?

Out: This week (yesterday, to be precise)

About: This is the latest from Germany's long-running Knee Deep stable, about whom you can find out more here. And it comes (as you'll have noticed) from Sebastian 'Lovebirds' Doering, who's somewhat of a boy to watch lately, what with releases on Winding Road, Freerange and Om. You can find his MySpace (and also HEAR THESE TRACKS) here.


Sunday 14 March 2010

Blaze - We Are One [Kiko Navarro Remixes]

Right, I’m going to come right out and say it: I never rated We Are One much. Well, at all, if we’re being honest. I’m aware that lots of people love it, but the lyrics have always been a stumbling block for me – am I the only person who thinks they’re just FACILE BEYOND BELIEF? Normally I rate Blaze highly as songwriters, but that just goes to make We Are One, which sounds like it came from the Barney the Dinosaur songbook, even more of a disappointment.


So we’ll concentrate on the dubs here, shall we? Cos I’m loving those, and both the driving Look |nside Dub (which uses just a “look inside” vocal snip, and manages to toughen things up quite a bit without losing any of the musicality) AND the Viva UR Dub (a fully instrumental affair whose name describes its stripped, Detroit-influenced tack nicely) have definitely got a place in my heart.


There’s a vocal mix too but, well, you know my thoughts on the lyric. But good work Mr Navarro anyway, and yeah, check this, peeps! There’s also a Doc Martin Mix on the full release, apparently, but they’ve not sent that…


Out: Now (been out on Traxsource Promo for a few weeks, but out properly this week)


About: This is on the mighty King Street, who like Kevin Hedges and Josh Milan themselves, need no introduction from me…


Mores & Seraphine – Tracks EP

“We realise Mores & Seraphine may be new names to you, but don’t let that discourage you from checking out this exciting offering,” says the press release. Bless. Actually I do check out everything I get sent… just some of it only lasts about 10 seconds*. This three-track EP certainly lasted a lot longer than that. In fact, I listened to it several times, I’ll listen to it again, I’m writing about it on here and I might even play it in public. Hah!


It’s the work of two new Polish producers, and the tracks in question (called Track 1 and Track 2, plus there’s a remix of Track 2 from the UK’s Mr Cenzo as well) basically operate in a nice chunky–but-mellow deep house arena. They lean a little towards the proggy side of things maybe, but not tediously so – only in the way that, say, some of the early Yoshitoshi stuff did. If pushed I’d go for the Mr Cenzo mix (which is the least proggy) but all cuts would be eminently playable in warm-up/post-club type scenarios.


Not got huge amounts to say about it beyond that really but it’s good. So if Mores & Serephine are new names to you, don’t let that… etc.


Out: Now (but only just)


About: This is on Nightbird Music, which is a new-ish label (this is NB004) from Groningen in Holland, run by Sebastian Davidson, who you may recall once had a single of the same name on Seamless (among 40 or so other releases in the past four years). More info (and HEAR THIS) at their MySpace and at Sebastian's own website.


*There are certain nasty synth sounds (or a certain way of rapping in a London accent about what it’s like being a teenager) that will pretty much guarantee that.


Rainer Weichhold - Ride The Horse

A bit late on this one, but it was just too good to ignore… and anyway I’ve promised them, now. So forgive me that it’s been out a few weeks, eh?


The original mix of Ride The Horse is a techy-ish houser with a hip-twisting main riff and – a first in house music that I can remember – a sample of a horse whinnying. Or neighing, or whatever it is that horses do. It sounds a bit daft… well, I suppose it is a bit daft, but it reminds me of days back in the ’90s when we were all a bit less snobbish and chin-strokey, and I like it. So there.


And then you’ve got four remixes to choose from. Robytek & Ralf Armani go all big dark room, with whooshy kicks and maximum loopage; UGLH & Federico Locchi take the track down a more discofied kinda route, and Doomwork deliver a stripped-down pass that owes a little to techno, but only techno in its purest Detroitiest form, with a neat little jazz trumpet riff thrown in for good measure. To round out the EP, Aki Bergen takes us into the very lushest of deep house pastures, with a rub that you could POSSIBLY describe as a bit generic deep, except that it’s just so damn GOOD – up enough for the floor, mellow enough for home, just the way we like it.


So yeah, a pretty spiffing EP all round, then, with a varied set of mixes to appeal to a range of jocks and/or suit a range of moods/times/settings.


Out: For a few weeks now, but like I said it was too good to leave unsung!


About: This is on Italian label Starlight Records, about whom I know very little but here’s their website. Likewise I’m not that clued up on Herr Weichhold, but here’s his MySpace (where you can currently HEAR Ride The Horse for yourself)


Tim Andresen - Crash Box

Tim Andresen’s an old friend of iDJ’s – he used to write a column for us on dance music goings-on in Denmark. He’s also one Denmark’s leading house DJs and a pretty dab hand in the studio himself.


Crash Box is a midpaced instrumental from that deep/prog kinda border. It’s not massively groundbreaking or anything – nor is it the kind of thing you’ll be humming all day – but I do like the way the synths spiral off into outer space. No doubt taking many a mind with them!


It’s accompanied by the Alex & Fillip Techbox Remix, a tougher take by far - the kind of house that could appeal equally to Italian techno fans at Cocoon, or something. It’s okay but the Original is the one for me here.


Out: Now


About: This is on What Happens, which is Tim’s own label and pretty well established by now. Find out more at their website.


Eightbit Rate - Yes Weekend

One of two bits I got sent from Artizan this month – there’s an excellent Poussez single forthcoming as well but that’s not out till April. For now, there’s this.


“This” being a three-tracker of (almost) instrumental house music in various flavas. The original of Yes Weekend is uptempo deep house with a funky/disco kinda feel, the WC10 Remix isn’t hugely different but with more of a proggy/techy kinda vibe, and then there’s bonus cut Who Knows, which is eight and a half minutes of driving deep, techy prog that is remarkably similar in sound to classics like Plastic Dreams and The Man WIth The Red Face. But then since when was that a bad thing?


Three solid cuts then. If forced to pick, then for me it’s between the original of Yes Weekend for da funk, or Who Knows, which is derivative but which will do its job for sure.


Out: Now


About: This is the latest from Artizan Music, the label run by Jafar and Maxime Cescau from their bases in London and Sweden respectively. More info at their website.

DJ Zya - Your Girl’s Favorite DJ

Sorry, but the A-side here is just awful, the very worst kind of ‘cheesy house meets electro meets a rap vocal’. Mere words can’t describe how bad it is, in fact. But it’s made up for by the B-side.


Actually, ‘Windy City’ is pretty cheesy itself. But it’s cheesy in a gloriously camp OTT disco stylee, sounding like some lost rollerdisco anthem from Private Stock records. That multitracked “in old Chicago town” chorus is one step short of sounding like Boney M… but the overall effect is quite pleasing.


Assuming you've got a soft spot for cheesy OTT disco, that is. If you’re here for the deep tech and minimal then I’d move swiftly on if I were you…


Out: Now (since Friday)


About: This is on Play, a curious label from Toronto that over the years has released everthing from ultra-deep house to the campest of kitsch disco-pop. Play is also home to underrated glitterball queen Melleny Melody AKA Melleefresh - think a Lady Miss Kier for the ’00s – and you can find out more here.

Saturday 6 March 2010

Alessio Caforio - Return EP

Another update on another fave label of mine – this one's the latest from Barcelona's Deep Class Records, and comes courtesy of Alessio Caforio, about whom I can't tell you much except he's Italian.

The lead track House In My Deep is just a beautiful piece of chuggy, organ-driven deep house music. It comes in Vocal and Instrumental flavours: the vocal – an unnamed diva telling us "I gotta keep on/you gotta keep on" – might be a bit much for some but I'm loving it, personally. I wish Deep Class would do more vocal stuff, if it's all gonna be as good as this! The EP’s completed by Room Vibe. This is in a similar vein to House In My Deep (ie, organ sounds play a prominent role), albeit this time even deeper, and with a certain filmic quality. And a spoken male vocal I can’t quite make out…

So yeah, top marks all round – another essential release from Deep Class.

Out: Now-ish

About: I've raved plenty about Deep Class before but here's their MySpace anyway, where you can HEAR THESE TRACKS on one of those funny little Beatport player thingummies. And here's Alessio Caforio's MySpace too.

Various - V/A 001 (Left'd)

Out for a week now is this debut release from Left'd, a new imprint from the Leftroom stable.

The EP features four artists, none of whom I've come across before (I don't think, anyway). Mark Chambers & Soho contribute a deep, jazz-laden shuffle called (appropriately enough) Deep, Mark Burton & Tim Lawson explore trippier, more electronic territory on the lovely Playdo, Rusty James serves up some primetime disco-infused deep house dancefloor action on Everybody's Talkin', while You Ain't Dancin' from Shadi Megallaa rounds out the EP with a little swung Berlin flava, perfect for warm-up duties.

On this evidence, I'll look forward to hearing more from Left'd, and from the artists involved, soonest!

Out: Now

About: Think I explained all that. But here's the Leftroom MySpace where you can currently HEAR all four tracks and, oh, I found Playdo on Soundcloud as well.

Jayson Brothers - The Game EP

The latest from Zurich's always on-point Drumpoet Community comes from the mysterious Jayson Brothers… which may or may not be an alias or side project of Danilo Plessow, AKA Motor City Drum Ensemble.

Lead track The Game is quite electronic-sounding for DPC, starting out with a very prominent techno kickdrum. But once the cut-up soul/disco vocals come in – it sounds like it could be a Trammps sample but that's a stab in the dark – normal musical service is restored. Nonetheless I'm still preferring Keep On Dancin', a slightly more discofied number with echoes of classic Jersey from the early ’90s in the synth/organ sounds.

Out: Now (but only since yesterday)

About: Drumpoet Community is, as readers of this blog will know, one of my fave labels right now. They're based in Zurich and affiliated to Compost. More info here. You can also read quite an interesting interview with Danilo Plessow here, or find his MySpace here.

Clemens Rumpf & David A. Tobin - Fire

Traditional soulful vocal house/garage hasn't had much of a look-in on here lately: partly because there's not huge amounts of it about these days, and partly because a lot of what there is, is just so whiny and nasally and limp. However, one label that's been keeping the flag flying is Reelgroove, and here's their latest.

The male vocal here tends towards the preacherman style, with a lyric extolling the virtues of getting down to house music, n' that. Quite why getting down to house music should make it "rain fire" isn't explained, but apparently it's going to. Musically… well, it's just soulful house in various flavours. I think I'd go for the Abicah Soul (main) mix, but the Groove Assassin Dub is also cool and there are mixes from Clemens Rumpf himself as well.

All told, it'll work for those of a Southport/Soul Heaven kinda mindset. For me, though, there's stuff coming out of Germany and elsewhere right now – like the recent Siopis single, for instance – whose fusion of soulful vox with deeper/techier beats is doing it for me more than this kinda thing.

Out: Now-ish.

About: This isn't Reelgroove's strongest, so I feel I should make up for its somewhat lacklustre review by pointing out that Greg Dorban's label DOES actually put out some of the finest vocal house/trad garage around right now! Their Sound Of Reelgroove comps, in particular, are not to be missed. Visit them on t'internet here.


Zoƫ - Sunday Morning

And now let's slow things down with this lush slab of downtempo/chill-out/trip hop-type "action", which I'm presuming DOESN'T come from the Zoƫ of Sunshine On A Rainy Day fame all those years ago? Who knows, but probably not cos Discogs lists no fewer than 32 different artists recording just as 'Zoe'. Like, way to choose a distinctive and original name, ladies.

Anyway, three mixes of Sunday Morning are on offer. The Illicit Mix is the most overtly trip-hop of the three; it also uses extensive samples from a certain Hollywood blockbuster*, hence presumably the mix title. The Dub is, well, more dubby, and the one I'll probably be dropping at my new residency OST in a couple of Sundays, and finally there's the S_M Music Remix, which is more of a slo-mo house affair, with some seriously fat acid bass and some nice analogue stabs.

I like all three mixes, actually. Told you it was lush! Don't normally cover a lot of downtempo stuff on here but this was too good to ignore.

Out: Good question… but round about now, certainly.

About: This is on Electric Sheep, a new-ish but very checkable UK label est 2008. Find out more here.

* Which film? Here's a clue: the book's from the 1950s or thereabouts, and about vampires. The film's set now, and they're not vampires, there's been some sort of 28 Days Later-style virus. And the plot's completely different. I quite enjoyed both but I'm glad I saw the film first, cos if I'd read the book then seen the movie I'd have been gutted.

Anonym - Lov Is Easy

Yes, this is actually called Lov is Easy. What is it with dance music producers that they think it's big and clever not to spell properly? Anyway, this comes atcha on D'Julz's Bass Culture imprint – it's only their sixth release – and hails from Detroit, apparently.

You can kinda tell cos it's got that proper US underground vibe going on. My favourite track here, Do You Wanna Party? poses the titular question repeatedly over a steady 909 (or is it 808?) kick, handclaps and a scratchy, looping sample that sounds like the needle's gotten stuck on a dusty old jazz record… nice. Lead track Lov Is Easy makes use of some similar filtered kinda sounds, again with a looping vocal but more of discofied kinda feel, and those kind of whoosh-y kicks that make you feel like you're on E even when you're not (perish the thought, officer).

I'm not as taken with third cut Midnight Sun Express, which just sounds a bit generic Ibiza-y compared to the other two, but this is well worth your cash all the same.

Out: "Feb/Mar" is what it says, so round about now I guess.

About: As stated, this is the sixth release from D'Julz's Bass Culture imprint, based in Paris, and pretty much every one has been a cracker – you can do the proverbial out-checking thing here.

If on the other hand you just Google 'bass culture', you'll find lots of links to Lloyd Bradley's excellent history of reggae that goes by the same name, or possibly the Linton Kwesi Johnson album from 1980. I can heartily recommend both, as it goes, but neither has much to do with scratchy, ruff-sounding underground house music.

Buckley & Woodall - Kitch N' Sync

Not quite sure when this is out, cos it says 29/02 and this isn't a leap year; so whether that means 1 March or 29 March, I'm not sure. Anyway, it's gotta be worth a mention cos it marks the return of the Back To Basics label.

So let's mention it. Kitch N' Sync comes from Back To Basics residents Kitch N' Sync and is described on the hype sheet as "a blistering seven minutes of in your face acid futurism". Well, that's a bit hype-y but it's not a bad statement of the track's general intent - I'm reminded of the more out-there moments from Carter's Square Dancing In A Roundhouse album. Chris Duckenfield trading as Half-Inch Jack then provides an even more acid-fried rerub, and there's a slightly more Berlin-ish kind take from Jamie Jones.

All told, it's down n' dirty jackin' house music aimed fair and square at the dancefloor. I can't decide between Duckenfield's mix for its retro charm or Jones's for its more contemporary sound but all three mixes are worth a spin.

Out: Who can say? See above!

About: Back To Basics should need no introduction, though they've not been around as a label for a few years; but yeah, it's the label of the long-running Leeds club of the same name and all the info you could possibly require can be found here.

Thursday 4 March 2010

Various - The Real Sound Of Chicago

After all that heavy dubstep shizzle, let's go to the other extreme with this, a collection that's subtitled Underground Disco From The Windy City. Featured here are 24 tracks over two CDs, selected by the guys that run the Mr Peabody vinyl emporium in Chicago.

Spanning the years 1976-1985, but mostly from the early ’80s, this is soul, disco and boogie - rather than just glitterball disco – that's about as obscure as it gets. The tracks here were mostly originally only pressed up in short runs on underground Chi-town labels, and one track, The Moore Brothers' Bass Come Back, has never even been out before - it's been remastered from an unused acetate that happened to come into the Peabody guys' possession.

It's a bit hit and miss in places – some things remain obscure for a reason, I guess. But then again, the very tracks I'm not so keen on might be the ones you're feenin' for… My other grumble would be that, while the album comes with impressively detailed sleevenotes, which genius decided to print them in white text on a pale orange background, at something like 5-point?!

Grumbles aside, though, there's plenty here to keep the disco/soul diggers interested – go seek.

Out: Now - in fact it's been out a couple of months but I just found it lurking at the bottom of a pile of CDs and realised I'd not done owt with it. And it's too good to overlook.

About: This is another fine collection from BBE, a label once more associated with hip-hop that in recent years has broadened its horizons and, in the process, quietly become possibly my fave reissues/compilations label right now. For more info on their very checkable back cat, click here. Or to visit the Mr Peabody store, click here.

Borgore - Ambient Dub Shit

Our second featured dubstep release of the week comes from Borgore, AKA Israeli producer and metalhead Asaf Borger, who's apparently better known for his 'gorestep' productions.

Someone tried to introduce me to gorestep last summer… it was a mate's 18yo son and, while I didn't hate it, I had to laugh cos I could guess exactly what it would sound like even before he passed me the headphones. I'm not a big fan TBH, but that's irrelevant cos as far as I can see there's nothing 'gorestep' about Ambient Dub Shit at all. Instead it's a fusion, as the name suggests, of dub vibes with some of the rudest bass you'll hear all week long, starting out nice and mellow then getting seriously down in yer bowels! It'd make the perfect transition tune from traditional dub to dubstep in DJ sets, methinks…

Flipside Birthday & The Black November attempts to do a similar trick with Harold Budd-ish ambient piano instead of dub, but less successfully to these ears: it just kinda leaps from one thing to the other, whereas the bass filth worked a lot better on Ambient Dub Shit cos with dub you EXPECT heavy bass… just maybe not quite that heavy!

Out: This week

About: This is on Audio Phreaks, which seems to be part of the Z Audio label family. You can find out more about Borgore on his MySpace, or by checking out his Gorestep's Most Hated mix which you can download free from Ego Thieves (the mix includes both Ambient Dub Shit and B&TBN, by the way)

Caper - Poker Ghost EP (plus free Caper mix!)

As I've said before on this blog, I like dubstep a lot, but I don't claim to know loads about it as a scene. So I'm not gonna go on too much about this, except to say it's the kind of dubstep I like best: it's not too stupidly gnarly/techy/in your face and it's got a strong reggae influence.

There are three tracks on offer: Poker Ghost itself, Trill Your Soul and Northern Lights. I actually like all three for different reasons. Poker Ghost is the closest to dubstep's UKG roots – don't get me wrong, it's definitely a dubstep record not a retro UKG offering, but you can easily see how we got from Doom's Night and 138 Trek to here!

Northern Lights shows more of a dub influence and hits a bit heavier on the bottom end, but the real treat is Trill Ya Soul: a heavy, heavy slo-mo, dubwise offering complete with soundbwoy vocal from Flip Disc. Next time I play records to people in public (which is in a couple of weeks, actually), this one's gonna be on the playlist for sure.

Out: March 7

About: This is on Cut La Roc's Rocstar label, who are quite good at the whole party breaks/warehouse/bass music thang. More Rocstar info here.

Caper AKA Southampton lad Joe Lambert, meanwhile, seems to be the name on all dubstep fans' lips right now so you probably know more about him than I do, but here's his MySpace just in case, where you might like to note you can still grab the free mix he did for EQ mag.

Monday 1 March 2010

Andy Compton – Acid Andy's Soul EP

Well, this does what it says on the tin for sure, cos both soul and acid elements abound across the four tracks here. And obviously they're by Andy, and presented in EP format, so that's all elements of the title covered pretty thoroughly.

On to the tracks themselves, then. That Acid Track is… well, aptly named! After the recent smooch-tastic Rural Soul LP, here we go to the other extreme with a high-octane (well, high-octane in deep house terms) slab of squelchy, 303-drenched dancefloor action… with a "relax, feel my soul" spoken vocal thrown in for good measure. The 303 action continues on Expand, albeit in a far more understated way and this time underpinning a drifty late-night deep houser featuring a spoken female vocal that seems to be taken from a self-help tape or some such. Loving You is another drifty, dreamy late-night affair, this one coming with a near-broken beat and – yes – another spoken vocal, while finally Samba is in a similar vein, but with a full Latin/carnival-style beat this time. And some wicked jazz-funk geetar action to boot!

Out: Now

About: This is, as ever, on Peng. Who I'm sure you know all about by now, but if you don't, see here