Blue Soul - Hedonic Adaption (Aphorism Recordings)

Before relocating to New Zealand, Blue Soul (AKA Scott Boutin) left a mark on the distinctive house music scene in San Francisco. Over 15 years, Blue Soul was found DJ’ing at celebrated SF parties like Sunset Soundsystem Campout and the long-winning Housepitality, and releasing records on his own imprints, Divine Resonance and Aphorism Recordings. Blue Soul’s sound was — and is — an amalgamation of underground dance music styles, incorporating elements of deep house, breakbeat, techno, and disco. In addition to his own labels, over the past 20 years Blue Soul’s releases have appeared on imprints like Roam Recordings, Whiskey Pickle, and 3AM Devices.

Now Blue Soul unleashes a spectacular 8 song album that is an intimate and psychedelic trek through his underground influences. Titled Hedonic Adaptation, the album leans toward analog acid and electro flavors without eschewing the sonic diversity and uplifting melodic sense that Blue Soul is known for. The opening tune, “Juno Communication,” quickly sets the tone. Comprised entirely of sounds sourced from a Juno-106 synthesizer, this breezy tune wouldn’t be out of place on Warp’s Artificial Intelligence series. Another highlight is “The Future We Didn’t Get” — a dancefloor-focused affair, including a disco rhythm, intoxicating synth sequences, and move-inspiring vocal drops. And the album’s title track shows yet another side, immersing the listener in full-on acid electro-techno with groovedelic results. The other tunes continue to deliver electrifying surprises for the headspace — dive deep into Blue Soul’s Hedonic Adaptation.

Piiit (Septante Sept) – “Back to electro funk: Nice!”
DJ H4L 9000 (Excuse Me? Club) – “Great EP! It’s difficult to choose a favorite.”
Gold Code (Omakase) – “Great album, room for all of these tracks in my sets! Favorites are Hedonic Adaptation and Acid Transcendence.”
Jackmaster Flash (Book Called Galanta) – “Each of these describes a certain drama meticulously in their own unique way. The overall sound quality of every song is great.”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Haunted folklore is on the way. Acid and Indie slow tempo virus!”
Sandro Bianchi (Ibiza Sonica) – “I’m in love with this!”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel show) – “Music like this is a ray of light right now. I’ll give this some radio play.”
Salah Sadeq (The Crate Radioshow) – “This is brilliant! Love it.”
Dr. Best (Radio Z 95.8, Nuremberg) – “Yummy acid-flavored electro snacks!”
Jon Fugler (XLNT Radio Show) – “Fascinating collection of tracks. Always a pleasure to hear some variety in the tempo ranges.”

Available Now From: Juno Download, Beatport, Bandcamp, Apple Music, And Spotify.

System360 - Reflected (ntier)

System360 is a passionate music maker from deepest New Zealand, usually found DJ’ing on Saturday nights from a small caravan outfitted with a low power transmitter. Tight beats, minor chords, rumbling bass, and swinging rhythms are usually heard emanating from within the gorge where this secluded producer resides. Inhabiting the underground fringes for a while, System360 (AKA Walter Yeoman) recently launched his ntier label to enable collaborations with friends, discover sonic possibilities, and ultimately release expressive tracks.

The latest ntier release – System360’s Reflected EP – presents four delicious deep house cuts, beginning with the moody-chord-and-piano-fueled “Reflected”. Its initial laid back demeanor disguises the dramatic tension to follow, as the track builds dreamily into layers of shimmering melody. “Light To You” exhibits strong dub techno elements pulled to the surface by a playful and catchy vocal hook. Melodic parts enter the mix as truncated snippets bouncing about the stereo field. Things get a bit more serious on “Edge Of Time” as the dub dial is turned up while the tempo drops down. Cinematic and affecting, the track utilizes dark pads and growling bass to great result. The EP closes with “Alchemy”, giving the release a foothold in classic house textures through familiar drum machine sounds and ingredients. System360’s fondness for pensive builds and blending melodic layers comes through as the track develops into a hypnotic floor workout.

Nick Warren (Hope Recordings / Way Out West) – “Very cool! All 4 are great.”
Gavin Hardkiss (Hawke) - “Digging these understated tracks. +++”
Lil’ Mark (EAR) – I love the production and sounds.”
Chris Udoh (Tigerhook) – “Great tracks!”
Atish (Desert Hearts) – “Nice, melodic and deep.”
Edground (Grooveland Music) – “Very nice release.”
Robert Owens (Compost) – “Cool Tracks.”
Lorenzo al Dino (7th District Inc.) – “Kickin!”
Michael Stukes (WHCR 90.3 FM – New York) – “Full Support!”
Distant People (Soul Elements Radio Show) – “Alchemy is working for me, as it feels like a retro warehouse track. Good feel on this one.”

Available Now From: Junodownload, iTunes, Spotify, And Amazon.

Reed & Radley - Bongo Lover (Grass Green Recordings)

The latest Grass Green Recordings release is of a style that has traversed from Manhattan to Manchester, from Brooklyn to Bradford - with love. For some mad reason garage, the dominant sound of the buzzy New York and New Jersey scenes, found a willing underground audience in northern England in the early ’90s. Clubs like the Hacienda and Hard Times embraced garage gurus such as Todd Terry and Tony Humphries much like they were their own. Reed & Radley were amongst that crowd, spending many nights lost to the dance floor and many paychecks lost to shrink-wrapped gems on labels like Strictly Rhythm and Easy Street. Now living in New Zealand, the Bongo Lover EP is their tribute to the NY and NJ garage sounds of that day, filtered through the styles and scenes that followed - both of a time and capable of going off like a bang now.

“Keep On” - A motto of the relentless, “Keep On” kicks things off with a crunchy four-to-the-floor beat complimented by skipping snares, hopping hats, and a deep, bubbling bass. The meat of the track is built around smooth pads and an ever-morphing rubbery synth riff which, with some jiggery-pokery of the filter, is eventually set free, sending fizzing, twisted stabs whizzing through the mix. There’s a hint of Wild Pitch about the reversed stabs, rides, and vocal refrain but the complexity of the main refrain and panned toms bring things right up to date.

“Don’t Let Me Down”- Even the most underground dance floors need a piano anthem now and again - here’s one that won’t let them down. Bright, simple chords are underpinned by a bouncing bass, hypnotic Korg organ motif, and cut-up vocal line. If that’s the ‘then,’ the ‘now’ comes direct from a Detroit basement in the form of pitched-down stabs. And it’s all enveloped by a string so warm it could be used to advertise Horlicks.

“Keep On (Shallow Taxi Club Hard Dub)” - What’s a Shallow Taxi Club without a showy driver? This Hard Dub of “Keep On” is an uncompromising and aggressive take from the self-pronounced producer-not-DJ. It’s verging on Mr G-style techno but retains enough swing and bounce to appeal to peak-time, bigger room garage floors.

Inland Knights - “All cuts are strong. Good stuff!”
Paolo Rocco (Real Tone / Klasse) - “Dope music!”
Graeme Park - “Groovy, baby.”
Giom - “Nicely done!”
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - “Pretty cool stuff.”
Spettro - “‘Keep On’ is simply amazing. Full support.”
Nick Holder (DNH Records) - “This is fire!”
Tyler Stadius - “Feeling all three. Great timeless sound.”
Cyclist (Homebreakin / Punchout!) - “Quality stuff!”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “This grabbed me as soon as the groove hit, There’s a really infectious feel to this … made me smile right away.”
Sebastian Davidson (Seamless / Night Drive) - “Classic and raw!”
Phonatics (Housesession Records) - “This is sex house!”
Craig Stewart (DCSTrax / Montana & Stewart) - “I’m feeling the original of ‘Keep On’ … those synth stabs are hot!”
Bruce Tantum (Time Out NY / Resident Advisor) - “Three winners! All right up my alley … fantastic, thumping-yet-deep house all around.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House) - “Gorgeous old skool inspired late night gem guaranteed to put a spell on you.”
Black Mighty Wax (Irma Records) - “Reed & Radley show great love for those good ol’ days … house music all night long!”

Available now from Juno Download and Beatport.

Darren Clark - Suzy (Grass Green Recordings)

Maybe it’s the fresh air or maybe there’s nothing else to do. Whatever the reason, New Zealand has some serious talent if Grass Green Recordings’ growing roster is anything to go by. After number one Juno releases from Monkey Boots and Shallow Taxi Club, Darren Clark’s debut for the label is another statement of intent. With previous releases on the likes of Them On The Hill, Omi Tutu, and Grooveadelica, Darren has proven himself to be a trusted proponent quality, after hours DJ action. On the Suzy EP one will find three tracks occupying a space of their own between deep house, disco, and Balearic sounds with arrangements built on rock-solid foundations allowing deceptively complex arrangements. Three flavors characterized by judicious layering of sounds and subtle tweaks.

“Suzy”: Like an architect wearing an iPod, this one builds and grooves. With a hypnotic two-note bass line and multiple complementary drum loops, “Suzy” is the track for a floor locked in tighter than a fat man’s belt. Fluttering stabs and washes of sound herald a vocal refrain used so well it never outstays its welcome. And after a pause for breath there’s welcome wonkiness with some woozy synth action. There’s also an instrumental version available in this package for further DJ dalliance.

“Memory Lane”: Balearic bubble bath, this. Like being soothed at sunrise by the seashore after a hard night on the dance floor. All burbling synth lines, groovy effects, and snatches of string, underpinned by shuffling drums full of bongos and cowbells. The trump card is the looped choir vocal, drenched in reverb and drifting in and out of the arrangement from halfway through. Smooth as.

“Shape”: From the sun-kissed to the subterranean, shape is a low-slung head-nodder with more than a hint of Detroit about it. It’s driven by a pulsing, filtered chord, percussive male vocal line, and clever clap programming before crisp 909 hats and a fractured drum loop lift things at midpoint. Clever use of loops, filters, and effects ensure things nod but never plod.

Peter Kruder (Kruder & Dorfmeister) - “‘Suzy’ is hot … I will play this. ‘Memory Lane’ and ‘Shape’ are great as well.”
Nick Warren - “A really lovely release … very cool indeed.”
Tensnake - “Beautiful disco and deep housey vibes.”
CJ Mackintosh - “‘Suzy’ is working!”
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - “Nice to hear a more atmospheric sound with solid rhythms.”
Inland Knights - “Cool EP … ‘Memory Lane’ is my pick.”
Mousse T. - “Very nice.”
Erik Rug - “Cool … will play this ‘Suzy’ track!”
Giom - “Nicely done.”
Rocco (Real Tone / Freerange) - “Nice EP … ‘Memory Lane’ is the kind of music I want to listen to all the time.”
Sarah Favouritizm - “This is wicked!”
Tom Lown - “This is totally lush. ‘Suzy’ and ‘Memory Lane’ are absolute quality … they both build in really nice ways.”
Q-Burns Abstract Message - “How I love this release, let me count the ways. Right up my alley.”
Richie Hartness (untitledmusic) - “Epic, buildng, swirling intense mellowness!”
Hippie Torrales - “Nice package. ‘Memory Lane’ is my flavor.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) - “‘Suzy’ is utterly gorgeous, as is ‘Memory Lane’ … totally up my street. Impressive stuff.”
Vincent Kwok - “Nice deep tracks. ‘Memory Lane’ is great.”
Christos Kedras (Kapa Music) - “Great package … groovy, balearic, and dreamy.”
Velanche (Velanche’s Playtime Radio Show) - “Pretty dope EP; like a slow burn! Really good.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House) - “What an awe-inspiring deep’n’moody late night house gem.”
Ornette (Radial Blur Radio Show) - “Three minutes into the first cut and this is already the best release I’ve heard all week … gorgeous!”

Available now from Juno Download and Beatport.