P-REZ - Envision EP (Not So Fast Records)

8DPromo · P-REZ - Envision EP (Not So Fast Records)

The latest from Not So Fast Records is here and ready to take over dance floors at supersonic speeds. The Envision EP comes from the Fresno, California, mover and shaker Steve Perez, aka P-REZ. With releases on the likes of Denied Music, Whiskey Pickle, and Bounce House, P-REZ returns to his own Not So Fast imprint to lay down more of his potent grooves. Transmitting a funky sound driven by quirky 303-acid action, it’s the type of prime time sound celebrated at P-REZ’s Frisky event, now in its 15th consecutive year of house music hijinks.

“Feel It” opens up the proceedings with a killer rhythm track, a deep, bouncing bass line, strategically placed acid flourishes, and soulful vocal drops. It’s got energy to go. “So Crazy” follows with definite after-hours appeal, intro’ing with a sparse but funky drum track and repeating spoken vocals dipped in reverb. Midway through the acid takes the track in new directions. Lauro Martins (CZ, Audiophile Deep) also contributes a remix for “So Crazy,” bringing the vibe even deeper into underground territories. “That 303” does what it says on the tin, propelled by its acid bass and lead lines alongside trippy percussion effects. P-Rez takes the mic on this one, delivering a cool, rhythmic spoken bit that praises the acid in the house. Four crucial tracks … don’t sleep on the Envision EP!

Dutchican Soul (Strictly Rhythm) – “Dope beats! Nice deep vibe.”
Louis Huges (6th Sense Music) – “That 303 is a bit of peak time madness, isn’t it? So Crazy is also a cool track.”
Lee Guthrie (Click Therapy) – “Feel It is the track for me here.”
Vanilla Ace (Toolroom) – “That 303 stands out.”
Andrew Emil (Broadway & Wilson) – “This is a dope release!”
Richie Hartness (Untitled Music) – “Quality quirkiness.”
Jay Hill (Superfreq) – “Feeling the Lauro Martins Remix.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Sometimes all you need is a 303, and that is exactly what we have here. Ace!”
Salvatore Logicfusion (Deepinradio) – “The Lauro Martins Remix is so cool!”
Wilbour Craddock (Groovewest) – “Fantastic late night bubbler with a hint of acid and a spacey vocal hook. This is ready for prime time.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, Apple Music, And Spotify.

P-REZ - Night Sweats EP (Not So Fast Records)

Fresno, California’s P-REZ has been steadily making waves and honing his funky sound through releases on the likes of Bounce House, Whiskey Pickle, Household Digital, and Blunted Funk, and with his monthly party Frisky which has run for eleven groovy years. Now P-REZ (known to some as Steve Perez) leaps forward into the acid zone with the Night Sweats EP, released on his own Not So Fast Records imprint. Featuring four high-charged original cuts, this EP is a sonic energy drink for any club-goer within listening range. “Alive” opens the release, and owes a bit of debt to Beat Street and like-minded classics. The rhythms are crisp and the bass line bouncy, and the cut builds nicely with energetic vocal drops and stereo effects. “Astronaut Juice” follows, filled with plenty of tripped-out elements and cool percussion floating above its solid four-on-the-floor. This one’s got prime time underground warehouse flavor. The EP closes with two massive acid tracks, the first being the aptly named “Because Acid”. Driving old school drum machine beats, totally effective voice snippets, and a big 303 line power this one right onto the dance floor. Finally, “The Shed” recalls early UK acid house with its hypnotic bass pulse, spoken vocal grabs, and echo effects. The 303, of course, again plays a prominent role, giving this cut unmistakable after-hours appeal.

DJ Jazzy L (Jazzy Lounge Radio) – “Whoa! Alive is super funky!”
Eric Davenport (Guesthouse) – “This might be my favorite EP released in 2016!”
Hippie Torrales (Cyberjamz Radio) – “Digging this!”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Because Acid is infectious!”
DJ Solveg (O.X.O Records) – “Excellent release!”
Enne (Electunes) - “Alive is really good.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Love it! The Shed is a weapon. Powerful.”
Kenny Substance (Pure Substance) – “Alive & The Shed are really cool.”
Jorge Font (AUDIO nights radio show) – “Acid!”
Tariq Ziyad (Planet Rave) – “This is outstanding! More of this please, every track goes in!”

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

Various Artists - The Remixes Vol. 1 (Whiskey Pickle)

The concept behind The Remixes Vol. 1 is simple: take some tunes that mostly did not have remixes on the official release and enlist some high profile talent to put their special stamp on them -- and that's exactly what's happening here. Bundled with the premiere of Whiskey Pickle's brand new logo redesigned by Austin artist Mez-One (of The Royal Mark Makers and TITS Crew), this pack has the label family brimming with excitement.

Up first, Sixth Avenue Express takes on the mighty "Nu Funk" by Abstrakt Audio. He twists the hypnotic swirl of the original into a slick lounge affair that features a gorgeous, roof-raising breakdown. Making his second appearance on WP, Dallas based producer Redsean utterly destroys "Does She Want You Now" by Zack Highwire in the best possible way, churning out some mean dance floor revenge. Cosmic funksters The New Black sought the expertise of The Dead Rose Music Company to beef up their "Stone Cold Groove" with some shuffling percussion and a Moog bass line that would make Bernie Worrell proud.

On the flip-side, label founder Adam Warped dons his Johnny Blackouts guise and bucks all convention by taking "I'm A Freak" into Nordic-house territory. Jason Blakemore, formerly known as DJ Trance, injects Zack Highwire's "Mind, Hearts, Lies" with a classic analogue kick that just won't quit. Titled the Lurky Dub, it's just that: deep, brooding, and seriously dubbed out, sure to leave listeners stuck in the groove and eager to move. Lastly, Austin, TX, mainstay Keine Moniker puts "Traps" by P-Rez in a blender filled with heavy Rhodes chords and a rolling bass, pouring out smooth deepness on his Jazzme Edit. He's had a busy year with heavily lauded releases on Cream Couture, Bush Records, Dead Funk Music, and StayFly Records. His remix shows why, taking the original to a whole new time and place. 

Mark Farina - “This is nice!”
Sleazy McQueen - “A really diverse package … I’m sure I’ll fit a few of these in.”
Robbie Hardkiss - “Stone cold groovy.”
Irregular Disco Workers (Disco Volante) - “The Dead Rose Music Company do the job!”
Hippie Torrales - “A nice package of diverse tunes.”
Alkalino (Estimativa / Audaz Recordings) - “The Sixth Avenue Express remix for Abstrakt Audio is my pick.”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings / Fabric) - “Cracking beats from one of my favorite labels … all tracks here are top notch. Reckon I’ll pour me a quick Famous Grouse over ice to mark the occasion.”
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - “The Dead Rose Music Company remix is terrific! I can’t wait to test drive it tonight.”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “Funky and chunky vibes … real nice.”
Ken Liu (Headset Recordings) - “Stellar pack. The Sixth Avenue Express Remix is tremendous.”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - “One of the best labels around in the world at the moment! This package of remixes is awesome.”
Corbin Dooley (Electric Feel Radio Show) - “A great compilation of funky selections … big support!”
Mygaff (Play FM Dublin) - “I honestly don’t know which track stands out more on this album, as like a good team they stand out together. I’ll play them all and let the listeners decide!”
Chris Keys (Another Night On Earth Blog) - “Top marks to The Dead Rose Music Company … that’s gonna light up some dancefloors.”
Black Alley (In Control Radio Show) - “What’s not to like here? Go and play ’em out!”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.

DJ Rusty - Brick Dance (Not So Fast Records)

Not So Fast Records is a San Francisco house music label founded in 2006 by DK Watts (Short Bus Kids) and DJ Naz Vartianian, meant as a sub-label of Bounce House Recordings. Releases from the likes of Giano, Short Bus Kids, p-rez, and Bon Johnson established the label in the bay area house community. Today DJ Naz is still at the helm of NSF Records, but somewhere along the way he was joined by Fresno-based DJ/producer P-REZ in managing the label.

Now presenting its eighth release, the label acts as a springboard for the solo debut of Oakland's DJ Rusty. He's previously collaborated with P-REZ as Dos Banditos, making NSF Records a fitting home. Diving right in, the "Brick Dance" single has an unequivocal California feel with a shaker, tom, and rim-filled rhythm, a rockin' bass line, and accented vocals that all combine into house music with lowrider appeal. Three included remixes take the track into different territories. Ezra Osborn is the owner of Voluptuous Recordings and one half of Da Basspushers with Giano. Producing as EZO, he turns in a spacier interpretation with minimal tech flair and sparse synth chords. P-REZ (real name Steve Perez) is a label mate of EZO's and production partner of Rusty's making his remix the glue to this release. He ups the original's sleaze with additional Cali flavor by way of Fresno, adding bong hits and buzzed synths. Completing the release, Arturo Garces is a San Jose label manager for Jump Recordings, Beat Bum Music, and Resource Records with plenty of productions released on other widely recognized labels like Robsoul Recordings. His Zone Mix is full of shuffling elements from the percussion to the bass line and all the additional effects, giving life to a deep, but energetic, groove.

DJ Mes (Guesthouse) - “Rusty and P-Rez on da mix! Nice release.”
Giom - “The P-Rez mix is cool.”
Hippie Torrales - “Rocking.”
Tommy Largo (Lost My Dog / Kolour) - “Cool stuff! The Arturo Garces remix is my pick.”
Robbie Hardkiss - “I like that P-Rez mix!”
Carlo Gambino (Midnight Social Recordings) - “Nice release all round … the ‘Brick Dance’ original is lovely.”
Vanilla Ace (OFF Recordings) - “The EZO mix is good!”
Tyler Stadius - “I’m loving Arturo Garces’s mix. This one bumps!”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “Wicked stuff! All four are strong, but the original and EZO versions get the main vote from me. EZO in particular lays down a superb groove.”
Andrew Macari (Greenhouse / Tastie) - “Solid jackin’ house vibe … proper club jams!”
Daniel Poli (Suspect Package Records) - “Cool release. At first listen, I really like the P-Rez remix. Nice one.”
J. Caprice (High Maintenance) - “Nice set of tracks here! I’m all about the Arturo Garces remix for me.”
Chris Harris (Tronicsole / Nordic Trax) - “I’m digging the techno feel of EZO remix!”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “Quirky feel but works nicely … catchy little hooky rhythm.”
Pete Williams (Natural Rhythm Music) - “The Arturo Garces mix is a serious deep banger! My pick for sure.”
Still Rob G (Smoke n Mirrors / Om Records) - “The P-Rez mix is really cool. Nice and funky and lighthearted. Arturo Garces’s mix is nice as well. Very west coast.”
Marcia Carr (Mi-Soul Radio / Ladyz) - “Deep went into deeper; Arturo Garces’s Zone Mix captures hard and soulful elements … just the right balance. Bellissimo!”

Available now from Beatport and Amazon.