Hamza - Thar (Wind Horse Records)

Wind Horse Records returns to the roots of the label with Hamza's worldly new single "Thar". Since founding Wind Horse over six years ago Hamza has released a number of expressive singles for his growing imprint, as well as on the likes of Colour and Pitch, Freizeitglauben Berlin, Grouper, and Savoir Faire Musique. The foundation of Hamza's 'modus operandi' has been the combination of western and eastern sounds, resulting in a timeless melding of deep house with global instrumentation such as those found in his native India. The two originals on this single certainly display this aesthetic, creating dance floor moments with a distinctive amount of depth.

"Thar" is named after a desert in the Rajasthan state of India, known as a place inhabited by gypsies. These same gypsies travelled south to Spain and influenced the flamenco sound, as referenced in the track. Hamza has been playing with Rajasthani gypsy musicians for many years, and "Thar" stands as a shining example of the fusion of their traditional sounds with deep house. Touching on a different spot in the world, the b-side track "Afro Turk" is inspired by Turkey and Hamza's travels to Istanbul. The rhythm maintains an African influence which inspires the title. Exotic instrumentation and intriguing environmental sounds melt over the layers of percussion and low, growling bass line. The gorgeous extended breakdown could soundtrack a leisurely stroll through the famous Grand Bazaar.

The second half of the single presents a trio of fantastic remixes of "Thar" by members of the extended Wind Horse family. Miami's Juan Mejia (Dutchie Music) is first, delivering a cool and bouncy rendition that balances the dramatic strums with gentle piano notes, all underpinned by some serious house beats. The New Delhi-based Oma is next, adding a touch of darkness to the proceedings. A pulsing low end and a clicky rhythm track propel the track's vision as the dream-like sonic space is wrapped in the more exotic textures from the original. Stalvart John, a DJ / producer from Bangalore, closes out the single with a sparse, dubbier treatment of "Thar." Anchored by a crisp four-on-the-floor, this remix is a heady journey, taking the listener to quite a few different places within its hypnotic seven and a half minutes.

Nick Warren - "I love Hamza's original tracks."
Ben Mono (Undertones Gang / Plant Music) - "Huge release."
Marques Wyatt - "I'm digging this."
Benji Candelario - "'Thar' is a funky tune."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "More excellent vibes from Hamza. I'm particularly digging 'Afro Turk' … I love the percussion and the flow. Remix-wise, Stalvart John turns in a cracker, but the whole EP is great overall."
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit) - "Pretty cool original mixes here, and I also like Juan Mejia's more straight forward version."
Dutchican Soul (Strictly Rhythm / Salted Music) - "Cool tracks and remixes!"
Scheibosan (Shanti Roots / FM4) - "Great tracks … I will play them for sure."
Matt Prehn (Oh So Coy / Large Music) - "I love the percussion on 'Afro Turk' … this'll sizzle at sunset!"
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "I'm a big fan of the exotic eastern sound and here it's done with such a cool, deep twist. The Oma mix just drives and drives with that bass line … fantastic."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle / Strange Days) - "'Thar' is really something special and will definitely be getting a lot of play from me for quite some time."
DJ Di Costa (MoodyLushious Influences) - "Quality release once again on Wind Horse Records. Hamza offers two excellent and truly intriguing mysterious tales. My top pick though is Juan Mejia's remix on 'Thar' … he really managed to enrich the beauty of the track in a whole new level."
Jon Manley (hOUSEwORX) - "Wow, this is superb stuff from Hamza. That breakdown on 'Afro Turk' is stunning. Top marks."
Joshua Jacobs (Music You Need) - "With Middle-Eastern and Asian influences galore, this release makes you feel like you're in the middle of the desert. Groovy, eclectic, and soulful all at once."
DJ Naz (Buddha Bar) - "This release just reminded me why I love this label so much. A return to the melodic warm sound. All the tracks are totally playable and have enough beautiful elements, nice bass lines, strings, and they progress very nicely. Absolutely great!"

Available now from Beatport, Traxsource, and iTunes.

Vipul - Evolve (Wind Horse Records)

New Delhi-based DJ / producer Vipul is an artist evolving with time, back to share with the world his new influences by way of a melodic single for India’s Wind Horse Records. Vipul’s road to the label was somewhat guided by an Indian astrologer who affirmed that DJ’ing was his chosen path rather than a more traditional occupation. Vipul met the Wind Horse owner, Hamza, at his club residency where they immediately formed a friendship, with Hamza guiding Vipul’s growing aspiration and production sound. At a point of more maturity and accompanied by three inspired remixers, things sound much more organic on Vipul’s new release “Evolve,” a title alluding to his progress.

Vipul’s original starts with tribal percussive grooves and introduces a low, extended bass before building with deep, heady chords, all acting as just a tease of what’s to come. Its true bass line emerges with a bounce as the synths open up, and eventually a short, laser-honed stab combines itself with the rhythmic mix. Finally in the breakdown, a xylophone melody with a South African feel comes to the forefront before epically winding back into the regular order of the track.

The first remix of the release comes from Glasgow’s Ross Couch, owner of the Body Rhythm label. He makes more use of the xylophone melodies, layering different variations beautifully on top of one another, and also gives more light to the sparsely used vocal of the original. Orchestral strings add tension while the other elements take a rest at the midpoint. The whole affair is undercut by a distinctly UK style bass line riff.

Wind Horse’s own Hamza takes the song into a much different territory with a dragging bass and some subtle piano play amongst spaced-out synth interchanges. Around the halfway mark the kick takes a few hits off on its four-to-the-floor pattern and a new groove is delineated by a now constricted low end before returning to full force.

Juan Mejia runs the labels Dutchie Music and Grouper Recordings out of Miami, but his remix adds a Chicago warehouse flare to the original, especially noticeable in the bass notes. He strips the track down to its melodic components, all while maintaining drive, and allows elements to shape shift into new forms as others remain consistent, carrying the song forward.

Overall, this evocative offering from Vipul shows his transformation isn’t merely ensuring survival as an artist, but rather gaining him higher ground with each new rung on the hierarchical ladder.

Nick Warren - “The original and Juan Mejia remix are nice.”
Johnny Fiasco - “Solid.”
CJ Mackintosh - “Nice mixes … Ross Couch for me.”
Justin Harris (Music For Freaks) - “I love the Hamza remix!”
Tensnake - “Nice deep cuts.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) - “I’ve gotta give this one 5 out of 5 stars … and I never give 5 stars! Wind Horse has become one of my favorite labels on the planet, and this EP is why. Just sublime!”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “Almost impossible to choose one favorite from these, as every mix is exceptional. I’m going for the original here, though, for those percussive vibes Vipul lays down so well. Another wicked Wind Horse release!”
Tom Lown (Savoir Faire / Lost My Dog) - “Nice rolling vibe on this and a cool bass line. I’m liking the original and the Ross Couch remix the best.”
Christos Kedras (Beat Philosophy / Kapa Music) - “Another great release from Wind Horse. Hamza’s mix is my pick … deep and dreamy!”
Dave Storm (Cabrio Records / Ibiza Global Radio) - “I like it! The original is my favorite … a nice atmospheric track.”
Kenny Substance (Pure Substance / Redflux) - “As always, a good original from Vipul. The remixes are dope, too, especially Juan Mejia’s mix.”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “There’s a solid groove to this, a really driving bounce.”
Amit Shoham (Tarantic / Noice!) - “Love, love, love this release! Hard to pick a favorite mix here … I’m feeling every track!”
Velanche (Velanche’s Playtime Radio Show) - “Very solid release. I especially enjoy Hamza’s remix … it’s really cool and beautiful.”
CheckPoint Charlie (MyCuppaT / MyHouseYourHouse) - “Beautifully atmospheric and punchy as always. The original and Hamza remixes are stunning.”
DJ Tronic (Dancefloor Mayhem) - “This is a great deep house single. I’ve been a Wind Horse Records fan since the beginning. Will definitely be playing this in my deep house sets.”
Kyka (Housetrap / SSRadio) - “Ross Couch version is great! Hamza did also a very good job on this.”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.