Ivaylo - Future Past (The Remixes) (Bogota Records)

Norwegian deep house label Bogota Records considers Ivaylo's Future Past (The Remixes) the end of 'phase one.' The label has issued six fantastic releases, making some serious waves in the house music community with its signature lush, dreamy, rhythmic sound. This seventh issue from Bogota returns to the output of flagship artist Ivaylo, the Bulgaria-born DJ based in Oslo. Future Past (The Remixes) is notable, as the title unintentionally hints, in that it draws upon label tracks from previous releases, giving them new remixed interpretations laying out the direction of the label. An impressive cadre of house music talent from around the world is on board to supply these remixes, making this an essential release.

Let's delve right into it. Dalminjo (Limestone Recordings, Papa Records) offers a sophisticated remix of "Forgotten", featuring pleasant string lines and lovely tuned percussion. Famed Philadelphian Pete Moss (Ovum Records) brings a funky tech-house aesthetic to "Outlands", with a solid bass and drum interplay perfectly tailored for the dance floor. Legendary Chicago house music don Johnny Fiasco (Klassik Fiasco) lays on the heavy swing for his interpretation of "Weight", and takes things well into the deep zone with splashes of chiming pads and a touch of vocoder. Out of Bulgaria comes Ivaylo's mates, the duo Sound Solutions (Adultempo Specialists) who blend swirling arpeggiations and ominous echoed synth stabs into their revision of "Shine". Demarkus Lewis (Grin Music), the tall Texas house music veteran, slaps on some tough rhythms, some 303-ish lines, and a pulsing low end for a particularly beefy version of "Disquis". Last, but certainly not least, Jay Tripwire (Tonality, Poker Flat) provides an evocative, sublimely building remix of "Cellar", featuring clanging percussion, liquidy found sounds, filtered chords, and the hypnotic drum-play he's known for.

Bogota Records knows the past, and repeating quality like this in the future is a foregone conclusion. Stay tuned to hear what other gems the label and Ivaylo have in store …

Doc Martin - "Some cool stuff here!"
Nick Holder - "This EP is fire!"
DJ MFR (Transport Recordings) - "Great tracks … full support from me!"
DJ Tonka (Tonka Tunes / Southern Fried) - "The Dalminjo and Johnny Fiasco mixes for me. True house music!"
Jaymz Nylon - "Dalminjo's remix of 'Forgotten' is actually most memorable."
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) - "One of my favorite labels out there. This is a stunning remix album with top notch remixers … it doesn't get better than this."
Sebastian Davidson - "Ten out of ten!"
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - "A super collection of dance music. Brilliant."
The Disclosure Project - "A good collection of remixers on this package. Johnny Fiasco's bumpy remix wins for us here."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "A truly astounding package here remixed by six of the very finest producers in house music. I'd be hard pressed to choose a finer dream team right now."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "A strong selection here from a variety of top players. Pete Moss, Johnny Fiasco, and Jay Tripwire all stand out with their interpretations, with Demarkus Lewis also adding a wicked groove on his remix. Solid all round really."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "Filthy and funky. I like the little acid twists in Demarkus Lewis's mix … heavy sound."

Available now from Beatport, Traxsource, and iTunes.

Ivaylo & Slammer feat. Renate - Breathe Easy (Bogota Records)

Bogota Records return with a follow up to their truly special summer hit “Guide Line”. Where that was a statement of intent, their new single “Breathe Easy” aims to cement the winning combination of producers Ivaylo and Slammer with singer Renate. It’s another thick mix of Bogota style balanced by perfectly arranged remixes, each molded into their own strong identity and building on the solid foundation set by the original.

Ivaylo is a Bulgarian native based in Oslo, at the head of Bogota Records, and Slammer is the label’s sound technician. “Breathe Easy” is the latest of their numerous planned projects. Renate is a good friend of Ivaylo and they have worked together previously, highlighting her delicate vocal delivery over smooth house productions. Their coupling has already proven itself to be a memorable and enduring collaboration, so it’s not surprising the two have set a goal of eventually performing live together.

Let’s start off by noting how clear it’s becoming that Renate’s voice has a uniquely, distinguishing personality that is hard to place, but easy to love. She always delivers with an understated sweetness characteristic of what the music world has come to treasure in Scandinavian pop with indie and experimental leanings. Where it gets tricky is the smoothed over, soulful diva accents that bring to mind wonderful jazz and chill out performances. On “Breathe Easy”, Renate’s vocal nuances work to completely pull the listener in once again, teetering on the wait for her to deliver closure while also hoping it never ends. Meanwhile, the production efforts of Ivaylo and Slammer depend on hard drum programming and a murky low end while the synths take an elevator softly towards a bright, arpeggiated climax.

The remixes flow from Oslo to Bulgaria, from the Bay Area to Barcelona. Kelvin K (Lost My Dog) is a transplant between England and the States’ West Coast. He’s very well versed in the American house music sound, having performed with a lot of its key DJs and producers (Larry Heard, King Britt, Jovonn, and more). His Playin’ Old School Mix does what it says on the tin with a perfectly rounded bass line, lovely Rhodes keys, and sharp horn stabs that bring to mind better times for the musicality of house productions. Norwegian Jarle Bråthen‘s productions have made their way onto a few releases for Prins Thoms’ Full Pupp label. That should lend a clue as to the squelchy, somewhere between acid and Italo disco direction of his cosmically inclined remix. It makes for a very spacious club tune. Sound Solutions is a two years running meeting of the minds between Bulgarian DJ / producer Ognyan Gurkov and musician / composer Iasmin Issinov. Together they start their remix of “Breathe Easy” with lush strings before introducing a futuristic soundscape with their synth work, contrasting this with vibrant piano notes. It builds up into a euphoric release. Arildo, a good friend of the Bogota label and owner of Cymasonic Recordings, finishes off the release with a mechanical, but funky remix. There’s a springy, percussive shuffle on top of a bludgeoning bass sound as well as deep, dusty pads that mirror the low end flow.

Abicah Soul - “I like this Arildo remix … super!”
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) - “Delicate yet powerful. Another bomb on Bogota Records. I’ll be playing all of these.”
Natural Rhythm - “The dreamy vibe on the Arildo mix is very nice!”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) - “Fantastic release once again. I’m loving Bogota Records right now!”
Hollis P Monroe (Renaissance Infinity / The Black 80s) - “I like all of these and the vocal is sweet. Looking forward to trying them out.”
Spettro (Bedrock / Crosstown Rebels) - “I’m really diggin’ the vibe and production on Kelvin K’s Playin’ Old School Mix … it’s perfect for deep sets or pool side.”
Jaymz Nylon (Nylon Trax) - “Modern, soulful, and funky equal the perfect ingredients. The original and the Arildo remix are my favorites and satisfy both sides of my DJ brain.”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “Very cool release. A tough call here between the Jarle Bråthen and Arildo remixes … both really superb deep works.”
Tyler Stadius (Proton Radio) - “Good choice of mixes. Jarle Bråthen’s acid mix works for me.”
Tom Conrad (Adaptation Music / SSRadio) - “It’s difficult to choose between the Sound Solutions and the Kelvin K mixes … both are fantastic. I also love the hypnotic original.”
Louis Hughes (6th Sense Music) - “It’s always nice to see a Kelvin K mix and this one is really great. Another strong release. Well done.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit Of House) - “Kelvin K’s gorgeous and melodious remix is the one for me.”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “Real deep feeling in the Arildo mix … I will be playing this for sure.”
Bogdan Taran (Dance Box radio show) - “The Arildo remix is a good piece of deep underground house.”
Jamie Topham (CD Pool) - “Dope original track from Iyalo & Slammer … very UK-centric and current in sound with a beautiful vocal performance from Renate. Cool remixes, too, with that emotive Sound Solutions remix sounding pure genius in arrangement. A seriously good release from Bogota.”

Now available from Beatport and Juno Download.