DingBat Records claims to have the “best in baroque funk” but, until now, no one has really been sure what that means. If such a sound actually exists it’s manifested in the new EP from Spettro and Trent Johnson, Side by Side. With past releases between them for the likes of King Street, Bush Records, and Nightshade Music, the veteran Texas house music duo has been making waves with cool dance floor cuts running the gamut from deep house to big room breaks. Joined on this single by the mysterious vocalist T-Rent $ (though you can probably unravel the mystery), Spettro and Trent have busted forth with two totally powerful and effective after hours jams. First off, there’s “Side by Side,” rich in color, mood, and space, moving from dark to light. It’s got all the best elements of deep tech-house with a tribal underbelly. This is followed by “Bring It Back” which is part electro acid robot noise and part tribal hip-house. This is the dirty house sound of the South, ready to bump in the Jeep as well as the club. On the remix tip newcomer Ian Bortolotti, a staple of the mid-west DJ scene and part of the DingBat family, unveils a version of “Bring It Back” that captures the sound of the newborn offspring of a Korg M1 and a TB–303. This mix has a totally different vibe from the original and is something for seedy basement clubs and dark warehouse parties where people like to do bad things. DingBat approved!
Johnny Fiasco - “Slammin’!”
Leigh Morgan (Urban Torque) - “‘Side by Side’ is a quirky little thing. I dig and will play.”
Tyler Stadius - “‘Side By Side’ … always loved that Aphrohead beat!”
Tensnake - “‘Side By Side’ is quite nice!”
Louk (Compulzion / Druck) - “That ‘Bring It Back’ remix is definitely my favorite … Korg M1, 303 vibes, and lovely choir chords a-plenty! Yes, mate!”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) - “Really loving Spettro and Trent Johnson’s recent output and this is no exception. ‘Side By Side’ is huge! I’m really liking the Ian Bortolotti acid remix, too … can’t wait to play these!”
Manuel Sahagun - “Loving it!”
MIke Clark / Agent X (Strictly Beatdown) - “Nice and groovy … I love the energy in ‘Side By Side.’”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “This is a funky sound that’ll make you move.”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “Cool vibes right across the release here. I’m feeling the stabby ‘Side By Side’ and Ian’s acid tinged remix of ‘Bring It Back,’ but the original ‘Bring It Back’ is the pick for me - quality freaky beats!”
Bogdan Taran (Dance Box Radio Show) - “This reminds a bit of the Spirit Catcher sound … very nice EP.”
Still Rob G (Smoke N Mirrors / Om Records) - “‘Side by Side’ is nice, but I really dig the more eccentric ‘Bring it Back.’ Ian did a nice job combining the acid and garage genres on the remix.”
Available now from Juno Download and Beatport.