Rai Scott - Inner Shift EP - Ornate Music

If the British house and techno movement were electing a first lady then Rai Scott would certainly be in with a shout. Because over the last few years whether as part of 2DeepSoul or owner of Inner Shift Music, both in collaboration with partner Brad Peterson, or indeed as a solo artist, Scott has built and been instrumental in constructing a body of work to be proud of.

Now the story goes from strength to strength with Scott’s first solo release on vinyl for a UK label, the essential Inner Shift EP Volume 1 for consistently-excellent London-based imprint Ornate Music.

The opening track Forgotten Sleep is far from soporific despite its title and arguably one of Scott’s more punchy productions. It’s a bit tasty too. The Edinburgh-based producer does a fine job in balancing the dance-floor potential of the track with her own ambient-toned tendencies and in doing so fashions a cut that works splendidly on so many levels.

With a rolling bassline that is hypnotic with a capital H, trademark sterling percussion work and an intentionally-muffled vocal that for once adds to rather than detracts from the piece, Here & Now is Scott in fine fettle and for my money one of her most accomplished productions to date. Tune, as they say.

Do We Really Know is Scott letting loose a little, deep house with impact for sure but with a smile, a summery vibe and her own angelic tones sprinkled all over it. A delight.

If all this wasn’t already enough, the Ornate crew have really pulled out all the stops by enlisting Spain’s very own don of the deep Dubbyman to do the business on Do We Really Know. And he does. Taking an already quality track, his Break The Beat Mix opts for a less direct kick and approach yet still manages to beef up the cut and add a little Madrilenian magic that hints at time spent listening to old jazz records.

Scott for first lady? She gets my vote.

2DeepSoul - Mood Sync - Yore Records

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.

Brad P - Inner Visions - Inner Shift Music

It says much about an artist’s ability, especially in the house and techno arena where the Ep whether it be vinyl or digital is king, when he or she can stretch their work across the length of an album without a dip in quality. No filler, no padding, no unnecessary noodling. 

Brad P [aka Brad Peterson] has managed just that with his debut album Inner Visions on the lovely Inner Shift label he runs jointly with partner Rai Scott. But then it probably comes as no surprise to those that know as the American artist now settled in Edinburgh is something of a producers’ producer and an underground favourite these days amongst those heads that keep a canny ear to the ground.

In a recording career stretching back to the turn of the Millennium both solo or in partnership with Scott as 2DeepSoul and encompassing labels such as Altered Moods, Minuendo, Moods & Grooves and Yore, Peterson has gradually built a loyal following devoted to his deep, lush grooves and ethereal vibes inspired by the early house and techno pioneers, notably the one and only Larry Heard.

Until now though Peterson’s work has been confined to a string of must-have Eps on vinyl. With Inner Visions, however, he has been able to cut loose and skilfully shape his ideas across an eight-track digital album supported by an essential four-track colour-marbled vinyl release of the same name.

Whichever option you plump for though it is nevertheless a case of satisfaction guaranteed. Quality is always key with Peterson. Album highlights are in no short supply, from the perky house/techno hybrid opener Don’t You Know to the über-chilled Slow Walker and from the truly-inspired future jazz of Light Years to the more abstract and intriguing Polyphony Trip, Peterson is a man on form right now.

No filler, no padding, no noodling? No way. That’s not Peterson’s style.


CHECK OUT: Inner Visions by Brad P on Inner Shift Music here.

LAAK/Banfield Audio - Calisto - Monochromatic

Being based in Argentina, many miles from the physical deep house hot spots, has not stopped the Monochromatic label from having its finger well and truly on the pulse. With four releases in little more than a year featuring Specter, Amir Alexander and Brad Peterson, the Banfield Audio boys behind the label are back with another 10" special featuring not only themselves but also yet more highly-coveted underground talent.

Taking a breather from their own well-respected label Austere, LAAK come up trumps for Monochromatic with the superb Calisto (it's a genus of butterfly or old typeface. Take your pick). Delicately textured as you might expect from LAAK, the track is as flighty, jaunty and optimistic as anything produced thus far on their own imprint and contains a melody so ridiculously catchy that it will take root in your mind and soul for some considerable time. You have been warned. 

By all accounts it is not the last of LAAK's away day adventures with forthcoming excursions coming soon on Rough House Rosie and Malcolm Moore's long-running deep house label Altered Moods.

Meanwhile back on the flipside, Banfield Audio deliver with aplomb more of the Motor City-inspired sound that has become their trademark. Waves From Detroit does what it says on the tin, layers of synth and melody combining to produce the kind of ethereal yet mechanical vibe that is reminiscent of work straight outta the D and touches a nerve with many a vinyl buyers these days. 

Brad P - Inner Visions - Inner Shift Music

Brad Peterson is one of those producers who can do no wrong in my eyes. Or should that be ears? Either way, his solo and collaborative track record over more than a decade with Minuendo, Moods & Grooves, Yore et al speaks for itself and his output on his own label Inner Shift Music is just as tidy.

Indeed, the Inner Visions EP, his first solo venture for the imprint he runs with partner Rai Scott, is not only a fine record but also a snapshot of what Peterson is all about.

The opening track is perhaps everything you might expect from a cut called Light Years. It’s ethereal and spaced-out deep house, the kind of thing Peterson does exceptionally well at the best of times anyway but here he is at his most excellent. In the hands of lesser artists the ‘otherworldly’ vibe can sound hackneyed but not so with the quietly-spoken American, who works at a higher level than most in this field and who always imbues his music with a hefty dose of soul. It’s what separates the wheat from the chaff in this game.

Whereas Light Years is bright, brash and jazzy, Slow Walker is much more introspective. A brooding, slow-burning ‘heads down’ of a track fashioned beautifully by Peterson for those darker moments. Take U There is Brad P on something of a jazz-funk tip, albeit within the parameters still of his take on the cosmic deep house oeuvre. Whale Cry, meanwhile, brings the journey to a suitably calming conclusion and augurs well for the man’s forthcoming album.