Joe Silva - Solstice (Purespace Recordings)

Winnipeg-based producer Joe Silva is no stranger to alert electronic music aficionados, releasing through his Purespace imprint since 1995 and contributing to the likes of Viva!, Nordic Trax, and Stickman. Silva specializes in an organic approach to synthetic sounds resulting in music that’s consistently warm, forward-looking, and groovy. New sounds from Joe Silva are always a cause for celebration, both on and off the dance floor.

"Solstice" is a punchy late-night treat, touching down within the Venn Diagram connecting techno, deep house, and tech-house. A tight bass-and-rhythm track gives nightclub speakers a workout as spacious chords, percussive hits, and lush atmospherics enter and exit the fray. An electronic piano appears, offering jazzy riffs before an effects-filled breakdown lifts the track skyward. A snazzy Dub version is also provided, giving DJs a sparse but flowing mix that's a tad techier and more than suitable for dark rooms needing moody vibes.

Mazi (Fresh Meat Records) – “The original hit me right away. Really clean and warm production. Like how the arrangement evolves.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “I’m all over this!”
Wilbour Craddock (Groovewest) – “Exactly what I expect from Joe and Purespace, a deep, driving house track with complexity to differentiate from the mundane releases of the week.”
Finest Wear (Colour and Pitch) – “Going deep with the Dub.”
Hippie Torrales (Cyberjamz Radio) – “Nice heavy flow to this.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Delicious, chunky, deep. Brilliant House music.”

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

Joe Silva - Can't Hold Back ft. Pucona (Purespace Recordings)

There’s nothing like the elevator parties out of Spain. A week long rave before three days’ dreamtime with the receding planet earth as backdrop. World’s best loji dancers in effect. All vying for a coveted hab gig on Luna.

Luna. Where my Neils is. Less than two hours now until I’m with you. He still hasn’t liked my tik post. Must be busy. “Ping”. Oh cool, a new Purespace release. “Can’t Hold Back” with Pucona on vox. Another Joe Silva jam. This is definitely a funky house banger. Pushing 130 bpm — perfect for lo grav — and living up to its title. Lots of build up and horns it seems. Vocals are dope. Hands in the air inducing. Sweetness.

Complimenting nicely is a classic DJ Freestyle (Guesthouse, Integrity, Grab) remix. Feeling that old school vibe done just right. Crisp hats and an understated but masterful production style. Smokin’ beats. This should work nicely for both early and late night lounge vibes. Can’t wait to try these out.

Looks like Freestyle does the mastering on both. Dude’s a pro. Sounding tight. And another kick ass artwork design by Chris Mulligan.

Oooh, a new message from Neils… Wait, what!?! YESSS!! Two tickets acquired for Burning Moon!!! See you in space!

Andrew Duke (Andrew Duke In The Mix) – “I’m really enjoying the original version.”
Lotek (The Shake) – “Loving the bouncy groove of the DJ Freestyle Remix.”
Lee Jones (Country Gents) – “I’m feeling all of this guys. The underlying groove of the title track is most infectious.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “This is magic!”
Matt Prehn (Large Music) – “Damn that remix is hot.”
Tony Fuel (ReFuel Your Soul) – “Wicked driving bassline on the original.”
Ket Shah (Mucho Soul) – “Great energy and production skills on both tracks.”
Kerem Gokmen (Dubmission Radioshow) – “What started off a simple house number had me turning it up and perking right up only 2 minutes in!”

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

Joe Silva - Late For Lunch (Purespace Recordings)

Where is he? He's late again. Probably caught in traffic. Why can't he leave on time? I'll just order another moon tart. 'Ting!' What's this? Oh cool, a new Purespace Recordings release. Lemme check this out. First track, “Late For Lunch”. Okay. Joe Silva playing some spooky flute sounds over a deep jazzy house groove. Nice. This'll kill some time.

Next a remix of the above by Andrew Duke (Van Czar Series, Nice & Nasty, Colour and Pitch). Hmm, bouncy house beats with buzzy ‘80s funk bass and what sounds like an approaching steam locomotive. I can get into this.

Another remix, this time by GabeReality. Never heard of him. Must be new. Harder sound on this one. Going for that deep-tech vibe I guess. They take that loopy flute sound and mash it nicely around some dark drops and builds. Hypnotic and darker. Keeper for sure.

The last track “Returning Soon” is back on the deep house vibe. Crunched vocal snips playing off a main vocoded voice riff that I can't quite make out. No flute, but seems interspersed with occasional guitar or ukulele plucks, I can't decide which. Pretty dubby overall. I'll have to listen again.

And there he is, finally. Ten minutes late. "I'm over here!" Mmm, moon tarts.

Artwork by Chris Mulligan Design.

Rory Hoy (Super Hi-Fi) – "Really lovely and chilled - Great stuff!”
Esette (Substation Recordings) – “Love the mood on Returning Soon.”
Taigo Onez (Bang Le' Dex) - “Returning Soon is truly beautiful! I'll definitely be playing this.”
Greg Norwood - “Loving all of the mixes but Late For Lunch is Str8 Heat!”
Wilbour Craddock (Groovewest) - “Lush layering of sounds that keeps building in complexity with a stellar baseline groove. Just pure deep house goodness.”
Alejandro Ramirez (Plimsoll Records) – “Definitly vibin' to 'Returning Soon'. Nice track.”
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing) – “SO deep & sexy!”
Salah Sadeq (The Crate Radio show) – “Very nice release. Will be playing these.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle radio show) – “This is magic - Andrew Dukes remix steals the show for me. Class!”

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

Mariana Cañadas - Love The Journey (Joe Silva Remixes) [Purespace Recordings]

The soulful voice of Mariana Cañadas makes another appearance on Purespace Recordings, combined with the unique electronic stylings of veteran house music producer Joe Silva. Mariana made a strong appearance on Silva’s 2016 album Memory Fade, contributing a rich spectrum of vocal textures on two memorable tracks, “Surrender” and “Gonna Leave U”.

Now she’s back, adding her freestyle artistry to “Love The Journey”. The original is slated to appear on Mariana’s upcoming solo debut album. But today Purespace presents three inspired Joe Silva reworks of the R&B original.

First up, the Main Mix falls squarely in the classic, funky house vibe that Silva is known for. With his signature chord stabs, funky percussion lines, and vocal treatments, the music almost flies at you with uplifting, spiraling chords of jazzy goodness, wrapping Mariana’s positive-message lyrics in love-charged vibrations. Playful and fun, this mix would sit equally well at a poolside lounge event or a peak time house night.

Next is Joe’s Deeper Mix. The tempo is slower, the kick lighter, with a hypnotic monotone bass line and sultry velvet chords elevating a vocoded Mariana performance to an almost spiritual level. The track expertly builds to a beautiful climax of shimmering delights. Drenched with light and a sincere hopefulness, this sound is an antidote to today’s challenging modernity.

And then there’s Joe’s Darker Mix. Silva goes in a slightly moody, more dramatic direction with his final remix. Adding a persistent bass progression that juxtaposes Mariana’s voice in a new light, Silva exploits new vocals not found on the other mixes. Rising and falling pitches perpetually pan from side to side, leaving the listener just a bit on edge, while silky string pads plow out the chord progression. In the ensuing break things take a more percussive, harder tone.

Rise Ashen (Balanced Records) – “Very nice. Feeling the deep mix a lot. Nice summer tune.”
Ollie Blackmore (Soul Heaven) – “SUPERB! Thanks for sending it through, can’t wait to play this out.”
Blueshift (Nurvous Records) – “Great chill vibes. The main mix is hittin’ for me.”
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) – “A love villed variety of beats!”
Pete Williams (Natural Rhythm) – “Woo! This is awesome. Joe’s Main Mix is for me.”
Wilbour Craddock (Groovewest) – “The main mix has such a complex, full sound with a great mix of vocal and instrumental to play in any house set.”
Bart / Soulfulbros (Soul District Radio Show) – “Nice soulful vocal, and a great voice.”
Sole Notes Of House (Online magazine) – “This tunes is infectious, with that bounce around product and honey-sweet vocals of Mariana that make you Love The Journey.”
Distant People (Soul Elements Radio show) – “Vocals are so lovely, what a feel!”
Dean Serafini (Frisky Rhythms) – “All mixes are excellent, as are the vocals. I’ll likely use Joe’s Main Mix in my shows.”

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