Ivaylo - Manga (Bogota Records)

Oslo’s Bogota Records finds Ivaylo mining deep house with the Manga EP. “Magnatronic” ascends a slow build from minimal drums to washes of warm synth, while the re-work by Arildo adds slow-burning percussive strains to the original. “Nectar” balances dark bass with hi-hat strains, while the Danny Kotz remix amplifies the original with driving locomotion. Throughout, the production swims in the deep end of the house pool without feeling dark, and manages a palatial dive into sonic atmospherics while maintaining an afterhours dancefloor vibe.

Ivaylo hails from Bulgaria, where he explored jazz before diving into electronic genres. As Bulgaria shook off the last of its communist sensibilities and became a republic, Ivaylo took to the beaches of his hometown in Varna and fell in love with the deep house sound floating over from the States. He went on to perform everywhere from London to Moscow before settling in Oslo, where he established Bogota Records in 2014.

Vanilla Ace (OFF Recordings) – “Nice chilled vibes.”
Atish (Desert Hearts) – “Deep and groovy.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Lovely lovely work. High fives all around!”
Pete Williams (Natural Rhythm) – “Arildo's Remix is a deep slow burner. Will support.”
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) – “So many good tracks and versions in here! Lovely release all around.”
Olle Abstract (Fisk & Vilt) – “Great release. I really like Arildo’s bouncy remix of Magnatronic.”
Jarle Bråthen (Full Pupp) – “Great release! Nectar (Danny Kotz Remix) is the favorite. Will play out.”
Deron Delgado (Paradise / Dirtybird) – “Lovely. Both versions of Nectar are great.”
Jon Manley (hOUSEwORX) – “Love the original mix of Magnatronic. Sultry deep house vibes.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Yes! This is superb. Arildo’s remix of Magnatronic is my favorite with that killer hypnotic vibe. Classy.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, And Spotify.

Usmev feat. Camilla Luna - A Reason To Dance (Bogota Records)

On the latest Bogota Records release, longtime label collaborator Usmev joins forces with vocalist Camilla Luna for an evocative two-tracker that also features an upfront remix by none other than Johnny Fiasco. A conservatory-trained pianist and guitarist, Usmev is no stranger to Bogota having appeared on the imprint’s debut release, ‘Themes’. Uruguayan-Norwegian vocalist Camilla Luna is known as one-half of Luna & Bazis on WahWah45s and vocalist for Trulz & Robin’s releases on Eskimo and Dance Disorder’s “Metallic Italic” (Bpitch Control). With “You’ll Find Your Reason To Dance” Camilla is heard for the first time on Bogota, accompanying the warm, deep house tones found in Usmev’s production. The sound is underground and somewhat cavernous, imagining hazy late nights and dreamy excursions. Camilla’s vocals are layered and effected, simultaneously soulful and enigmatic. The b-side, “Maybe This Is Love”, is a comparatively uptempo affair with a more refined drum track and vocal line in the midst of shimmering chords. Camilla’s vocal performance is especially intoxicating here. As a bonus, Chicago legend Johnny Fiasco is on board with another in his stream of masterfully club-primed remixes (and his second for Bogota Records). “You’ll Find Your Reason To Dance” is given extra momentum, as the bass line is moved the fore and the rhythm track gets a dose of Chi-town floor funk. These three cuts continue Bogota Records’ run of distinctive high-quality singles.

Mr. V (Sole Channel Music) – “Johnny kills it!”
Lee Guthrie (Click Therapy / Wiggle) – “Johnny Fiasco Remix all the way for me here.”
Satoshi Fumi (Outerspace radio show / Klik Records) – “Massive!”
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart) – “The original of ‘You’ll Find The Reason’ is very tasty.”
Edground (Grooveland Music) – “I’ll play this for sure.”
Sumsusch (Colour and Pitch) – “Johnny Fiasco remix is lovely.”
Hard Ton (Toy Tronics) – “The original version is the one for me.”
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing) – “Great release. Very fresh.”
DJ Nova (Nova Planet Radio Show) – “Camilla Luna’s soulful vocals are giving a mutli-dimensional sound to the release, making it far from just a typical underground release.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Real) – “Solid mixes right through here. I’m liking the B side a lot too … great voice and vibe on this one! Sweet, moody and soulful.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, And Spotify.

Magnus Asberg - Awaked Future EP (Bogota Records)

Bogota Records trains its sights on the vibrant house music scene of London-by-the-Sea for an expressive new single from Brighton’s veteran DJ and promoter Magnus Asberg. After a thirty year history behind the decks, in the studio, and organizing hundreds of debaucherous parties, Magnus’s ear for quality sounds has held the respect of those in-the-know for a long while. Under his own name as well as through this pseudonym C-Soul, Magnus has released tunes with an esteemed group of labels including DIY Discs, Plastic City, Ornate Music, and his own On The House imprint. Now he debuts on Bogota Records with an accomplished set of tunes collected as the Awaked Future EP.

“My Future” opens the EP with a spacey bounce and hypnotic, deep march in its opening rhythm. Tripped-out vocal snippets and measured effect treatments phase in and out of the mix, creating a heady stew that will please the most underground of deep house selectors. The track gets a fleshing out by London’s Tom Gillieron (RvS Music, Eye-Q) who elegantly layers sheets of sound over the basic beat. This one’s filled with psychedelic mania, and its nearly 12 minute runtime doesn’t include a single second of mundanity.

The EP takes a slight left turn with four distinct versions of “Awaked Future” which feature the vocals of Renate, a familiar name to fans of the Bogota label. Magnus provides an original version, a Club Version, and an Acid 303 Version to satisfy the different moods of the DJ. The dreamy, ’90s style house of the original is masterfully complimented by the acid stylings of the Acid 303 Version, and the Club Version accentuates the cosmic good vibes with some punched up drums and embellishments. Also, Schmoov! (Winding Road Records, Large) is on hand to deliver an especially warm deep house remix of “Awaked Future” utilizing the lovely vocal and some spacious chord-play in a masterful manner.

Tyler Stadius (Dialtone Records / Proton Radio) – “All the tracks here are good. It’s tough to pick a favorite, well done!”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM 95) – “The Future, original or remixed, will be a future classic of listeners with darker and underground taste.”
Piiit (Septante Sept) – “This is just dance floor dynamite!”
DJ Solveg (O.X.O Records) – “A Bomb! Excellent release, full support.”
Spettro (Get Physical Music) – “Yes! My Future is stripped down magic.”
Robot 84 (Paper Recordings) – “Quality sounding house. I’m digging the Acid 303 Version and the Awaked Future Original.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – The Schmoov! Mix is tickling all the right bits for me!”
ADAM WARPED (Whiskey Pickle) – “Enjoying the psychedelic vibes on this one!”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show on DE Radio) - “Tom Gillieron's Our Future Dub is massive!”
Mannix (DMC World Magazine) – “Oh My God, when the first chords of the Schmoov! remix hit me, it goes right off!”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, And Spotify.

Terje Saether - Reasonable View (Bogota Records)

Bogota Records returns with a high quality release spotlighting Terje Saether, a producer from the dark and cold north – the land of the polar bear and aquavit – that is known as Norway. With previous releases for the likes of Hope Records, Darkroom Dubs, and Connaisseur Recordings, Terje pieces together deep and atmospheric house music with the cerebral touch of techno. Terje presents three solid cuts on his Reasonable View EP, providing an enjoyable overview of his after hours inclination.

"Nothing But The Sea" opens the release, a beefy four-on-the-floor kick and snatches of syncopated synth and vocal hits pointing the way. A filtered, wistful string loop serves to send the listener into the dream-zone as a consistent bass throbs out the track's heartbeat. "Who's Responsible For This?" adds more techno-flavor to this affair, with bouncing percussion and a hypnotic oscillating pad anchoring floating melodic lines and old school bass zaps. Terje takes the nightclub back in time with his third original, "HAN". A staccato chord pattern, vocal snippets, synth strings, and an ever-growling bass line soundtrack a turbulence-free direct flight from Oslo to Chicago.

On the remix tip, Bogota has enlisted some other worthy Norwegians to the task. Alex Jangle and MatztaM, two prestigious Oslo party-throwers, transform "Nothing But The Sea" into a classy 2-step inspired romp that should inspire a variety of groovy movements on the dance floor. Next up, Rave-enka (Paper Recordings) toughens "Who's Responsible For This?" with a meaty bass line, clanging percussive melodies, and snappy drums, building into a uplifting musical epiphany over the remix's ten minutes. Bodacious!

Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) – “This is a stunning release … I’ll be playing a few tracks from this one.”
Vanilla Ace (OFF Recordings / Bunny Tiger) – “Nice one!”
Tyler Stadius (Deepsite / Proton Radio) – Good tracks. I’ll definitely play ‘Nothing but the Sea’.”
Chris Fortier (Fade / Mindwarp) – “Sounds good!”
Demarkus Lewis (Grin Music / Guesthouse Music) – “The ‘Rave-Enka’ remix is nice … love the change up on the breaks!”
Robert Owens (Compost) – “Cool Tracks!”
Giom (Large Music / Supremus Records) – “The ‘Rave-Enka’ mix is wicked!”
Atish (Desert Hearts / Robot Heart) – I’m loving both of the remixes on this one … quirky with a lot of personality!”
Murray Richardson (Electrica Salsa / Rebel Waltz) – “I’m loving the original mixes … nice vibes here!”
Iain Rejekt (Sankeys / Space Ibiza) – “Cool release. I particularly like ‘HAN’.”
Deepshizzol (MyHouse YourHouse Radio / Deepvibes Radio) – “Nice release! I Love ‘HAN’ and the ‘Alex Jangle & MatztaM Remix’.”
Natural Rhythm (Natural Rhythm Mix Show) – “Nice deep, techy tunes. We’re supporting on our radio show.”
Jon Manley ( hOUSEwORX / This Is Our House) – “This is a quality release from Terje Saether!”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings / Deadbeat Disco Radio Show) – “I’m loving the originals. All three are pure class.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle radio show / Proton Radio) – “This release is ace … loving the deep emotive vibe on ‘Nothing But The Sea’ and the otherworldly sonic sounds of ‘Who's Responsible For This?’ This is a pure treat.”

Available now from: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, and Spotify.