The Familiar - White Poison Remixes (Beatservice Records)

The Familiar is an alternative electro-pop duo consisting of Ruth Mirsky (via Brooklyn) and Mads Martinsen (via Tromsø, Norway). The Familiar have previously released two EPs, capturing the haunting icy rhythms of the Arctic Circle and the pulse of New York City. On this latest release, two of The Familiar’s most popular tracks are re-interpreted by the Norwegian house underground. Veteran Tromsø producer Doc L. Junior (Music For Freaks, Paper Recordings) kicks things off with a funky-yet-dreamy remix of “White Poison”, featuring bell-like pads, a solid bass groove, and a lovely use of the female vocal. Fellow Tromsø-ite Syntax Erik is up next, giving “Dark Eyes” a deep, throbbing Italo-influenced treatment. This one plunges the listener into arpeggiated synthesizer bliss. “White Poison” is revisited for the final track, with Oslo wiz-kid Rave-enka (Paper Recordings, Trunkfunk) supplying an addictive jazzy deep house version that will maximize the shuffle sensations on the dance floor.

Nick Warren (The Soundgarden) – “Rave-enka mix is the one!”
Vincent Kwok (Eight-Fifteen) – “I dig the electro feel of Dark Eyes (Syntax Erik Remix).”
Pointbender (Harmonious Discord) – “Dark Eyes – Syntax Erik Remix works for me. Good Synth work.”
Nedj (The Electronic Underground Radio Show) – “3 beautifully crafted house tracks, each offering something different. The Rave-enka remix is just pure bliss!”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Yes! Loving these cuts.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House Web Zine) – “A truly sexy remix by Doc L. Junior.”
Darrell Stout (Next Level / Beatmatrix Show) – “Deep, dark and bangin!”
Edground (Grooveland Music) – “Very nice release. Great mix by Doc L. Junior.”
Stefan Popovic (DiscoTone Radio Show) – “Doc L. Junior’s Dub is out of this world! Massive tune. Full on hypnosis on the dancefloor. Bravo!”
DJ Nova (Nova Planet Radio Show) – “The deep funk of the Rave-enka Remix is really attractive to my ears.”

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

Rave-enka - Friksjon (Beatservice Records)

Ravi Brunsvik is one of the young forces in the current house-scene in Oslo, Norway. He is half of the duo De Fantastiske To, who have released fantastic EPs on Paper Recordings, Trunkfunk Records, Omena, and Ism Recordings. Ravi’s solo project, Rave-enka, has issued a couple of house releases on Paper Recordings, along with a more techno-ish EP on Nein Records. Now Rave-enka joins Beatservice Records for Friksjon – a jam-packed release featuring two glitzy club-ready stompers and stellar remix work from Manchester DJ Chris Massey (Paper, Sprechen) and familiar Tromsø-artist Kohib.

“Friksjon” started out as a remix commissioned for Beatservice, but eventually evolved into a track of its own. It’s a frenzied four-on-the-floor club cut with hints of Detroit and an early ’90s sound run through 2017’s rave filter. This is followed by the hypnotic “Diskomiddel” which features robotic arpeggiations, an insistent bass line, and a totally mental build-up that ideally would be accompanied by blazing strobe lights. On the remix tip, Chris Massey tackles “Friksjon” with confidence, delivering a version that gives the retro-flavored original a modern late-night house music sheen. Kohib then works his magic on “Diskomiddel”, somehow making the track more intense and dramatic with a pulsing drive that will send gravitational waves spiraling all over the dance floor.

Claude Young (Different World Productions, Tokyo) – “Friksjon is a really hot floor mover! Nice!”
Larry Tee (Carnage Music) – “I’m loving this!”
Onionz (Electrik Soul) – “Nice One!”
Tronik Youth (Nein Records) – “I love the Kohib remix.”
Dean Facer (Resident Advisor / Our House Magazine) – “Amazing release … I really love this vibe!”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Infectious Dance Floor Trax!”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Amazing work again from Rave-enka. I’m a fan!”
David Cronin (RTE 2FM Radio) – “Lovely 4 tracker here. Will play.”
Osvaldo Panero (DJW Magazine – Argentina) – “Bueno!”
Jamie Topham (Summer Soulstice) – “Another fine release on the Beatservice imprint. The Rave-enka original of Friksjon is my pick, it takes you back to the halcyon days of house music.”

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

Terje Saether - Reasonable View (Bogota Records)

Bogota Records returns with a high quality release spotlighting Terje Saether, a producer from the dark and cold north – the land of the polar bear and aquavit – that is known as Norway. With previous releases for the likes of Hope Records, Darkroom Dubs, and Connaisseur Recordings, Terje pieces together deep and atmospheric house music with the cerebral touch of techno. Terje presents three solid cuts on his Reasonable View EP, providing an enjoyable overview of his after hours inclination.

"Nothing But The Sea" opens the release, a beefy four-on-the-floor kick and snatches of syncopated synth and vocal hits pointing the way. A filtered, wistful string loop serves to send the listener into the dream-zone as a consistent bass throbs out the track's heartbeat. "Who's Responsible For This?" adds more techno-flavor to this affair, with bouncing percussion and a hypnotic oscillating pad anchoring floating melodic lines and old school bass zaps. Terje takes the nightclub back in time with his third original, "HAN". A staccato chord pattern, vocal snippets, synth strings, and an ever-growling bass line soundtrack a turbulence-free direct flight from Oslo to Chicago.

On the remix tip, Bogota has enlisted some other worthy Norwegians to the task. Alex Jangle and MatztaM, two prestigious Oslo party-throwers, transform "Nothing But The Sea" into a classy 2-step inspired romp that should inspire a variety of groovy movements on the dance floor. Next up, Rave-enka (Paper Recordings) toughens "Who's Responsible For This?" with a meaty bass line, clanging percussive melodies, and snappy drums, building into a uplifting musical epiphany over the remix's ten minutes. Bodacious!

Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) – “This is a stunning release … I’ll be playing a few tracks from this one.”
Vanilla Ace (OFF Recordings / Bunny Tiger) – “Nice one!”
Tyler Stadius (Deepsite / Proton Radio) – Good tracks. I’ll definitely play ‘Nothing but the Sea’.”
Chris Fortier (Fade / Mindwarp) – “Sounds good!”
Demarkus Lewis (Grin Music / Guesthouse Music) – “The ‘Rave-Enka’ remix is nice … love the change up on the breaks!”
Robert Owens (Compost) – “Cool Tracks!”
Giom (Large Music / Supremus Records) – “The ‘Rave-Enka’ mix is wicked!”
Atish (Desert Hearts / Robot Heart) – I’m loving both of the remixes on this one … quirky with a lot of personality!”
Murray Richardson (Electrica Salsa / Rebel Waltz) – “I’m loving the original mixes … nice vibes here!”
Iain Rejekt (Sankeys / Space Ibiza) – “Cool release. I particularly like ‘HAN’.”
Deepshizzol (MyHouse YourHouse Radio / Deepvibes Radio) – “Nice release! I Love ‘HAN’ and the ‘Alex Jangle & MatztaM Remix’.”
Natural Rhythm (Natural Rhythm Mix Show) – “Nice deep, techy tunes. We’re supporting on our radio show.”
Jon Manley ( hOUSEwORX / This Is Our House) – “This is a quality release from Terje Saether!”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings / Deadbeat Disco Radio Show) – “I’m loving the originals. All three are pure class.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle radio show / Proton Radio) – “This release is ace … loving the deep emotive vibe on ‘Nothing But The Sea’ and the otherworldly sonic sounds of ‘Who's Responsible For This?’ This is a pure treat.”

Available now from: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, and Spotify.