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.

Braulio Motus / Michael Ruris - Handmade Recordings Vol. 1 (Handmade Recordings)

Handmade Recordings is a San Francisco-based label embracing a DIY ethic and its city’s history of mixing and matching electronic music styles. The label had its beginnings within the Subculture parties dating back to the year 2000. These parties were known for booking DJs of differing styles, with house, electro-influenced sounds, and techno all sharing time in the booth. As the label developed, its founders strove to capture this diversity, mix it with an old school aesthetic, and apply it to a digital label. With almost monthly releases issued for over a year, Handmade Recordings is on its way to becoming an established staple of the west coast house music scene.

This latest sampler features two bay area producers from deep within the label’s stable: Braulio Motus and Michael Ruris. “Upside Down" is Braulio Motus’s fifth track for the Handmade label, and the San Francisco-via-New York-via-Philippines producer is certainly on the rise with his down-and-dirty, bass-heavy tech-house cuts. Featuring a hearty rhythm track and an imposing bass line growl, Braulio’s cut bounces with airy percussion flourishes, phased-out breakdowns, and a forceful vocal sample repeating the song’s title. There’s also a Dub of the track which mostly leaves out the vocal sample in favor of a focus on the cut’s indomitable rhythm. MIchael Ruris is up next, coming off the acclaim of his “Glow” single from the previous Handmade release. “Rev Combi (I Got You)" is led by a unique plucked-style melodic sound, complimented with organ stabs, quick guitar hits, and echoed whispers. A bit techier than Michael’s previous material, the cut has a definite wild side with a strange, almost theremin-like solo and subtle, sung vocals also entering the sonic fray. It’s a unique track sure to turn heads on the dance floor when inserted into a DJ’s set.

Giom - “‘Upside Down’ … nice work.”
Tommy Largo - “Cool EP, ‘Upside Down’ is my pick.”
Robert Owens - “‘Rev Combi (I Got You)’ … great track, I love it!”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “Ace vibes. The dub of ‘Upside Down’ is wicked, but the pick for me here is ‘Rev Combi (I Got You).’ Superb, grooving house!”
Rob Pearson (Evasive Records) - “‘Upside Down’ vocal and dub are both great for me. Support on these!”
Raymundo Rodriguez - “”Rev Combi (I Got You)’ … nice sound and vibe.”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - “Braulio’s Motus ”Upside Down’ is wicked! Deep funk pusher!”
Murray Richardson - “Love ‘Rev Combi (I Got You)’ … killer!”
Craig Fraser (Special Housin’ Association) - “Very cool pack. Both tracks sound raw but fresh, particularly ‘Upside Down’ which has an underground anthem vibe about it.”
Jon Silva (Pesto Music) - “‘Upside Down’ … dirty and filthy just the way I like my tunes.”
Velanche (Urban Landscapes) - “The vocal version of ‘Upside Down’ is a really strong track for me; digging the percussive interplay. Can’t wait to mix that in. ‘Rev Combi (I Got You)’ is also a solid track.”

Available now from Juno Download and Beatport.

Michael Ruris & Roman Stange - Glow EP (Handmade Recordings) →

Introducing Handmade Recordings, a San Francisco-based label embracing a DIY ethic and its city’s history of mixing and matching electronic music styles. The label had its beginnings within the Subculture parties dating back to the year 2000. These parties were known for booking DJs of differing styles, with house, electro-influenced sounds, and techno all sharing time in the booth. As the label developed, its founders strove to capture this diversity, mix it with an old school aesthetic, and apply it to a digital label. With almost monthly releases issued for over a year, Handmade Recordings is on its way to becoming an established staple of the west coast house music scene.

Handmade is pleased to present “Glow" from bay area producer Michael Ruris. Hooked on San Francisco’s distinctive house music sound in its 90’s heyday, Ruris began recording and performing on his own and as part of production teams dotRock and Ribbon. His sound is refreshingly organic and very much influenced by the classic tracks of west coast house music. “Glow” showcases this angle with a chunky, tech-house flow underneath an appealing vocal hook and some understated, funky guitar hits. It’s a fully written song that feels equally at home in peak time club sets, late night radio shows, or early morning ‘back to mine’ sessions. Also included is the Power Bass Line Mix which does what it says on the tin: the bass is amplified and the groove intensified for a little more electricity as needed.

Handmade also has included a bonus track in this package, the War No More Remix of “Come To Me" by Roman Stange. Stange originally hails from the Detroit area, having been in attendence for many early Richie Hawtin sets at The Shelter and on the dancefloor repeatedly at the famed Music Institute. He’s contributed tracks and remixes to the likes of Auralism, Mothership, Aftersoul, and Blipswitch Digital. Now in San Francisco, Stange is working on a techno project with [KONTROL]’s Craig Kuna and hosts multiple club nights. His contribution here is a throbbing after-hours techno track with various nods to a classic sound in arrangement, style, and a familiar vocal sample at the breakdown.

Johnwaynes - “Good house stuff! Handcrafted really well.”
Onionz - “‘Glow’ original mix is rockin’.”
Scott Harrington (Savoir Faire Musique) - “Nice raw sounds, great for my peak time sets.”
Danny Ward (Dubble D / 2020:Vision) “I like the quirky vibe of ‘Glow’!”
Al Bradley (3AM Recordings) - “Great stuff here. The Power Bassline Mix is a killer, will get loads of play from that. Wicked stuff. Also feeling the ‘War No More’ remix, too. Powerful grooves!”
Louis Hughes (Two Deep / 1999 Recordings) - “Now we are talking … This is proper Tech House! Full support.”
Jota Wagner (Lunatic Jazz) - “Really diggin’ the old school techno feel of ‘Come To Me’ … this will be played.”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “‘Glow’ is a cool track … Reminds of the 80’s.”
Tom Hoch (Mile High House) - “Floppy weird house.”
Rob Pearson (Evasive Records) - “Full support on these … Good stuff indeed!”
Bobi (Global Movement on Club FM) - “I love the Power Bassline Mix. I’ll definitely play and chart this one! Great stuff.”
Eric Davenport (Guesthouse) - “I’m digging the groove and built up tension that ‘Come To Me’ delivers.”
DJ Ingo (BOP FM, New Zealand) - “Excellent quality production. I’m diggin’ the funky guitar riffs.”
Jasper Gape (Nerdy Frames blog) - “Damn, this is good!”

Available now from Juno Download and Beatport