Little more than a year old and only five releases in yet George Beridze, owner of Cologne-based Rough House Rosie, is clearly on to a good thing. Because with the likes of Alex Danilov, Brother G, Shine Grooves and HVL already on board the imprint has been marked out as one to watch and even collect.
With production number five, the Silent Movie Sounds II EP, that reputation will undoubtedly be enhanced further.
Though with only a handful of releases to his name, Pjotr has nonetheless managed to catch the attention of many a watcher of the underground due largely to the fact those outings have been with keenly followed Russian labels, Ethereal Sound and Udacha. That and the fact his work often combines melancholy and melody, optimism and honest-to-goodness house and sometimes even a touch of jazz in the broadest sense of the word. His production here, June, is as infectious and decent as deep house gets these days and will no doubt please admirers.
A5 is another mercurial talent whose work is highly rated (Appetit/Rawax/Udacha). Here with Dzhaz he lets loose his more abstract jazz - or should that be dzhaz? - side, letting the double bass do the work with plinky-plonky chords and hi-hat playing a supporting role to great effect.
Promising Russian newcomer Gamayun gets a run out with Slum Odyssey, a groovy, catchy and yet strangely robotic number that augurs well for the future, while rounding off the package is the wonderful LAAK. Recent releases with Monochromatic, Appian Sounds and their own mighty imprint Austere Recordings have been both eagerly awaited and well received. So Much Inside is more of the same impressive, understated, playful house/techno hybrid that proves the notion that less is more. Go buy.
Seasoned Chicago-based producer Joey Kay has been in the game for more than 20 years now but the last few have seen him in the form of his life. Outstanding appearances on the likes of My Love Is Underground, Minuendo, Série Limitée and his own label Stylistic have made him a man in demand.
His latest release, the Altered Tempos EP for super Spanish imprint Troubled Kids, will only raise his stock even further.
Gloriously straddling that line between the deep and the funk is the wonderful opener One-Eighteen. Brim full of the kind of atmosphere and feeling that many would-be producers can only ponder, it is a lesson in how to do deep house to encourage both dancing and listening in equal part.
Off The Deep End (Kay and Lo-Ki’s edit) is the Chicagoan doing just that as he strips the track back to basics. Bassy, beefy and with a touch of the Mike Huckaby’s about it, it is certain to be pounding a basement bash near you any day now.
As with the EP opener, Black Hat is house music of the more soulful, funky and highly-danceable kind. Delightful in the extreme, an inspirational groovy piano in tow, chunky deep chords too and with an optimistic air, an ‘on repeat’ tune if ever there was.
Providing quality until the very last drop is Reverser (Edit no. 4). Dripping with soul and wrapped in emotion, Kay nails this deep house thang to the floor.
Hard to believe that Yore Records has already reached the 30 release milestone. Because despite a discography bursting with quality in depth and a roster to die for, the Cologne-based label fronted by Andy Vaz seems to go about its business with the minimum of fuss.
And we are talking an imprint that has become a second home to Rick Wade, gave Kez YM a break early doors, picked up on Patrice Scott when he was still making a name for himself here in Europe as well as featuring choice cuts from the likes of Dubbyman, Marcello Napoletano and Vaz himself.
So it is especially pleasing that for the big three-oh that Yore should welcome into the family a firm favourite here at bringdownthewalls HQ, the Edinburgh-based outfit 2DeepSoul with their three-track treat Mood Sync.
Opening tune Intrinsic could almost be the duo’s theme and is arguably their best offering to date. It sums up perfectly what 2DeepSoul are all about and in turn all that is good about them. Deep, driving beats, perky perc, melodic rather more than moody despite the EP’s title yet with an ambient overtone and ethereal quality, almost to the point of dreamy, draped delicately across the track. It has the fingerprints in particular of Rai Scott, one half of the partnership alongside Brad Peterson, marked indelibly all over it.
Flow Theory delivers more of the same top-draw cosmic deepness albeit with a little more broodiness and punch and is complete with a nifty little Hammond action in the vein of Scott Grooves collaborator Chris Codish.
Closing track Power is even more robust though less sparky than the other two cuts yet every bit as superb and is the one that most puts the ‘mood’ into Mood Sync.
