Tuesday 16 June 2015

Essence Inc. - The Essence - Chiwax



MYSTERIOUS newcomer Essence Inc. is in fine company alongside the likes of Boo Williams, Perseus Traxx and Virgo Four as he, she, they - or even it I guess - make an accomplished debut for the ever-active German imprint Chiwax.

Three tracks of bold bombastic beats, The Essence EP is a worthy way to mark your arrival on any label. Taking centre stage is A side cut Do It (Can’t Help), a striking opening salvo that is draped in jerky old-school house straight outta the Chicago of the eighties. No surprise of course given the name of the imprint. But rather than emanating from the Windy City, doubtless the release will turn out instead to be the work of some young upstart from Warsaw, Waterford or Wuppertal who wasn’t even born when Jack first had a groove.

As is so often the case, the flip side offers an even tastier proposition. In this case Not Gonna Let, another superior homage to the early days of house that even the pioneers of the genre would be proud of thanks to a jacking groove, bouncy baseline and an inspired Colonel Abrams flashback.

Bringing the EP to a close is the superb We’re In This Together. It’s a deeper joint than the other two tracks but nevertheless also has its heart and soul rooted very much in the formative years of house music. And that has to be a good thing, right?