Braulio Motus - Bodyrock (Handmade Recordings)

San Francisco house music imprint Handmade Recordings turns to label familiar Braulio Motus once again for a new EP in the form of Bodyrock. Braulio is a Filipino-born transplant to the New York and San Francisco rave scenes. Settling in NYC, his productions have found their way onto other labels like Agua Y Sed, White Island, and Honeywax. First on the EP, vocalist Devi Genuone of Oakland, California, lends her nuanced singing and sweet lyrical sentiments to "Till Next" which Braulio goes on to mold as a bass-driven house music piece with just the slightest electro tinge … he uses minor touches to accent an otherwise deep affair. Favoring a nastier, acid-rounded approach, fellow New York production project Destronauts transform "Till Next" with a snarling but smooth and melodic techno take. Aiming more clearly for the '80s electro sound this time around, "Bodyrock" is a funky slice of dance floor business which Spaniard Ato Rodriguez builds out extensively, even switching up the bass riff at the midway mark, slipping the vibe into something much more comfortable. "Eastern Blue Bird" follows in much the same vein as the previous offerings, but with a somewhat dreamy flavor as it staggers along. Finally, the release finishes with an instrumental of the electrified club banger "Prolly On The Molly", a gritty track for the turn up crowd. Be on the look-out for a vocal version of this last track, featuring Bronx rapper Hu$tle Hendrix delivering hard rhymes to match the tongue-in-cheek title.

Tensnake - "That 'Bodyrock' remix by Ato Rodriguez is nice."
SlanG (Spring Tube / Movement) - "The Braulio Motus mix of 'Till Next' is the one here … pretty good old school sound and a nice vocal."
Phonatics (Housesession Records) - "Vibing this."
Matt Prehn (Oh So Coy / Large Music) - "Braulio Motus's remix is the one for me - good bass line and a sleazy vibe."
Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show) - "The Destronauts Warehouse Mix of 'Till Next' is magic. Love it."
Deron Delgado (Stompy) - "The Braulio Motus mix of 'Till Next' is dope!"
Cadatta (DeepWit / Etoka) - "I like the Destronauts remix … it reminds me of good times from the past."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "A quirky and jacking sound … I like the groove to this."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "Great stuff here. From the originals it's 'Eastern Blue Bird' which is the winner, but overall I'm digging Ato Rodriguez's remix of 'Bodyrock' the most. Wicked."
Jero Nougues (Savoir Faire Musique / DeepClass Records) -"Brilliant release. Overall it sounds really good … powerful bass lines and deep synths."
Ben Gomori (Data Transmission) - "Lovely remix from Braulio Motus on 'Till Next' … very smooth."
Radha Kotliarsky (The EDM Network) - "Massive release."
Velanche (Club 91 Radio Show) - "Some pretty solid beats from remixes to originals."
Neil McCall (Spandex Sessions Radio Show) - "Awesome underground sounds."

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.

Ato Rodriguez - Walking On Dholpur (Handmade Recordings)

Handmade Records has picked up Ato Rodriguez, a new artist from Madrid, Spain. Further fueling an early passion for music from his time spent at a young age enrolled in the conservatory, Ato eventually solidified his interest in electronic music by way of late '90s Madrid clubs. Over a decade of Ato honing his skills behind the decks has informed his very personal production style with clear influences from tried and true North American sounds peaking at the end of the '90s and beginning of the noughties. These moments in time are captured by his blend of house, funk, disco, and electro, all molded to today's pace whether solo or as half of Photone74.

His debut release for the label, "Walking On Dholpur", incorporates NY house hand percussion, deep and dubby techno stabs, guttural bass, and elements of minimal sound design. It's in the short moments of energetic outburst, and in the lead synth keys later introduced, that one of Ato's inspirations -- Danny Tenaglia -- is made ever-so-clear. Braulio Motus, a Filipino-born turned NY and San Fran raver transplant, fattens up Ato's work in his remix, creating a slower, heavier, and more menacing groove. The other original on this release, "Greg Chicago", layers the same note sequence of different instruments on top of each other, all from the starting foundation of a bass line. As the track progresses, it builds with a piano that slowly disappears into a more synthetic lead. It balances out the release with a light playfulness.

Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - “‘Greg Chicago’ is absolutely stunning … great work!”
Orde Meikle (Slam / Soma) - "Cool grooves."
Tyree Cooper - “‘Greg Chicago’ is hot!”
Spesh (Jondi & Spesh / Loöq Records) - "Solid stuff. I can't wait to hear more from Ato Rodriguez."
Pete Williams (Natural Rhythm) - "Cool release. The Braulio Motus mix is super deep and dark, and 'Greg Chicago' has a funky old school groove."
Daniel Bortz (Suol) - “The Braulio Motus remix of ‘Walking On Dholpur’ is very nice!”
Stacey Pullen - “Cool … I’ll try out ‘Walking On Dholpur’.”
Nick Warren (Hope Recordings / Way Out West) - “A lovely record … support”
Matt Prehn (Oh So Coy Recordings) - “The Braulio Motus remix has a more housey vibe that should warm up floors nicely.”
Adam Collins (Euphoria Records) - “Late night vibe on the Braulio Motus remix.”
DJ Dennis (Selekta Recordings) - “‘Greg Chicago’ is simple, but super powerful … can't wait to drop this one on some heads!”
Louis Hughes (6th Sense Music) - “Nice, moody deep house music here.”
Deron Delgado (Paradise / Stompy) - “This is quality deep house!”
Aldrin (Zouk Club / One With Music) - “Diggin' the deep dubby groove of ‘Walking On Dholpur’.”
Jamie Topham (CDPool, UK) - “Feeling the slower, retro flavor of ‘Greg Chicago’ the most from this release.”
Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show, Croatia) - “Solid release … love all three tracks.”
Bobi (City Radio 94.7 FM, Macedonia) - “Delectable slice of deep house coming with a selection of tasty remixes.”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.

mR. Mahaj & The Birdhunter - Ownlight / This Freak (Handmade Recordings)

Handmade Records unveils the debut release of mR. Mahaj & The Birdhunter, a quizzically named group from the Barbary Coast, San Francisco - but not really because that’s a seedy red-light district of days gone by. Yet such a setting is fitting in context to the storyline their music evokes on this single’s two songs, “Ownlight” and “This Freak”.

The first track, “Ownlight,” lurks about with a reverberating kick, funky guitar licks, tough technoid rhythms, and spooked out vocals. Jay Tripwire’s (Poker Flat) remix darkens things up a bit while stripping itself down into a late night experience, taking the form of the deep and spacial grooves he’s known for. Upping the funk for the second track, “This Freak” features more playful guitar lifted by ‘80s inflected synths, groovy bongos, and similarly eerie vocals, this time run through a vocoder. Los Angeles’ Dance Spirit revamp the original in their Flashback Remix, turning it into the kind of menacing and twisted, but beautifully fringe tech house expected of artists from the Superfreq label camp. Hailing from the opposite coast, New York based Braulio Motus is a label familiar. He rounds off the “This Freak” trilogy in a dirty, psychedelic trip that’s laced with atmosphere as it rides a wave of distorted synths and taxed out vocals. Handmade Recordings goes from strength to strength and this single is sure to please shady characters across the globe as well as those who call a favorite late night haunt ‘home.’

Phonogenic (Moodmusic / Turbo) - “This is properly out there. Jay Tripwire’s remix has a dope dub vibe and I really like Dance Spirit’s remix for early doors. Great!”
Craig Stewart (DCSTrax / Montana & Stewart) - “The Jay Tripwire remix is off the charts. The low end frequencies are massive.”
Q-Burns Abstract Message - “The Dance Spirit mix is the proper deep biz here. I really like the way the vocals and guitar are used and manipulated.”
Saulty (Downtown Party Network) - “Big package … a lot of great tracks!”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “Both originals are cool here, ‘Ownlight’ being a particularly funky slab of ass-shaking-ness (if that’s a term…). But the pick for me here is the Dance Spirit remix; a sensational slo-mo percussive winner for me … wicked! Jay also turns in another brilliant deep jam, too.”
Tyree Cooper - “‘Ownlight’ is really nice.”
Carlo Gambino ( Midnight Social Recordings) - “Great remix by Jay Tripwire … one of his best to date for me. This is gonna sound mega on a big system next weekend!”
RiCHARD.GEAR (Whiskey Pickle / Discobelle) - “That Jay Tripwire remix is proper warehouse deepness … and the Braulio Motus remix of ‘This Freak’ is tight, too.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) - “Pretty tasty release … I like it a lot.”
Lcaise (Tanztone Records / Diskko) - “Oooh … Jay Tripwire’s version is total bomb for me!”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - “I am impressed with Dance Spirit’s remix of ‘This Freak.’ Dark synths, guitars which sound like Balearic ones, scary space ‘freak’ vocals … I think it is one of the better tracks of the year.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House) - “An enticing deep gem perfect for those moody late night sets.”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.

Michael Ruris - Loose (Handmade Recordings)

San Francisco house music imprint Handmade Recordings gets set to drop their ninth release, “Loose” from label veteran Michael Ruris, and it’s aimed towards fans of Chicago’s old school acid house sound. This is modern acid house though; minimalist, electronic funk that slyly nods to the phuturistic sounds of Chi-town’s yesteryears of dance floor glory.

“Loose” opens with a beatless intro, comprised of the original’s keyboard signature and a heavy, ambient presence. Then the kick-drum breaks through and is joined by a hi-hat and snare combo that slices through the darkness. An organ bass line joins the fray and pushes all these elements into a rolling, bouncy ensemble, perfect for the peak time dance floor.

The second MIchael Ruris mix, “Loose (Acid),” is everything that the title proclaims it to be. The acid in this little jam is subtle and comes on slowly, before taking hold and making the dance floor holler, “Ow, ow, owsley!” The 303 squelch is sandwiched between tough, funky beats, metallic keyboard sounds, and a tough, understated bass line. This track is not trying to burn you, but make you prance … its one for the surreal end of the AM or one just before the big build to midnight.

Closing things out is Alland Byallo (Bad Animal, Poker Flat) who takes “Loose” into deeper, funkier, and more abstract waters. The bass line jumps out more in the mix, drifting, 313-esque strings float in and out, the beats roll, climb and swing, and a dislocated voice spooks the tiny shards of synth that wheel around in the stereo field. It’s a groover for dancey heads who like things dancey yet heady.

Dubfire - “The Alland Byallo remix … 5 out of 5.”
Ewan Pearson - “The acid mix is the one for me.”
Jay West - “I dig it!”
Deepchild - “A Byallo remix is a remix well solicited. Homestar brings the heat with everything he touches.”
Neil Quigley - “Liking the acid version very much … I’ll definitely play this.”
Brett Johnson - “A solid package.”
Monty Luke - “Gonna check this out ASAP!”
DJ Schwa (Shades of Gray) - “The acid version and Alland Byallo’s mixes are great.”
Tyler Stadius - “I like the quirky, eerie feel in the original.”
Will SumSuch (Deepwit / Etoka) - “The acid mix is nice and twisted … good stuff!”
Jesus Pablo - “The Alland Byallo remix is on the money.”
Mark Bamford (Spiritchaser / Guess Records) - “The acid mix had me screwing my face up and nodding my head … I like it!”
JP Soul (Roam Recordings) - “Nice EP! Alland’s remix does it for me with the spaced old old-school warehouse party vibe.”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “The acid version just pips it for me … the vibe is more stripped back and the groove is allowed to roll. Top class. Alland drops a cracking and really intriguing reworking … I love the way the groove builds and develops as the track grows. Ace!”

Available now from Juno Download and Beatport.