Magnus Asberg - Awaked Future EP (Bogota Records)

Bogota Records trains its sights on the vibrant house music scene of London-by-the-Sea for an expressive new single from Brighton’s veteran DJ and promoter Magnus Asberg. After a thirty year history behind the decks, in the studio, and organizing hundreds of debaucherous parties, Magnus’s ear for quality sounds has held the respect of those in-the-know for a long while. Under his own name as well as through this pseudonym C-Soul, Magnus has released tunes with an esteemed group of labels including DIY Discs, Plastic City, Ornate Music, and his own On The House imprint. Now he debuts on Bogota Records with an accomplished set of tunes collected as the Awaked Future EP.

“My Future” opens the EP with a spacey bounce and hypnotic, deep march in its opening rhythm. Tripped-out vocal snippets and measured effect treatments phase in and out of the mix, creating a heady stew that will please the most underground of deep house selectors. The track gets a fleshing out by London’s Tom Gillieron (RvS Music, Eye-Q) who elegantly layers sheets of sound over the basic beat. This one’s filled with psychedelic mania, and its nearly 12 minute runtime doesn’t include a single second of mundanity.

The EP takes a slight left turn with four distinct versions of “Awaked Future” which feature the vocals of Renate, a familiar name to fans of the Bogota label. Magnus provides an original version, a Club Version, and an Acid 303 Version to satisfy the different moods of the DJ. The dreamy, ’90s style house of the original is masterfully complimented by the acid stylings of the Acid 303 Version, and the Club Version accentuates the cosmic good vibes with some punched up drums and embellishments. Also, Schmoov! (Winding Road Records, Large) is on hand to deliver an especially warm deep house remix of “Awaked Future” utilizing the lovely vocal and some spacious chord-play in a masterful manner.

Tyler Stadius (Dialtone Records / Proton Radio) – “All the tracks here are good. It’s tough to pick a favorite, well done!”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM 95) – “The Future, original or remixed, will be a future classic of listeners with darker and underground taste.”
Piiit (Septante Sept) – “This is just dance floor dynamite!”
DJ Solveg (O.X.O Records) – “A Bomb! Excellent release, full support.”
Spettro (Get Physical Music) – “Yes! My Future is stripped down magic.”
Robot 84 (Paper Recordings) – “Quality sounding house. I’m digging the Acid 303 Version and the Awaked Future Original.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – The Schmoov! Mix is tickling all the right bits for me!”
ADAM WARPED (Whiskey Pickle) – “Enjoying the psychedelic vibes on this one!”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show on DE Radio) - “Tom Gillieron's Our Future Dub is massive!”
Mannix (DMC World Magazine) – “Oh My God, when the first chords of the Schmoov! remix hit me, it goes right off!”

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

Ivaylo & Slammer feat. Renate - Guide Line (Bogota Records)

Bogota Records celebrated the approaching summer with their seductive, previous “Twilight Room” single. Well, summer is here and Bogota have effectively turned up the heat with another special vocal-driven hit, the kind that just doesn’t come along very often. As a long time planned collaboration between Ivaylo and Slammer, as well as singer Renate, the Guide Line EP is a statement of intent and the start of a new perspective from the label.

Ivaylo is a Bulgarian native based in Oslo at the head of Bogota Records and Slammer is the label’s sound technician, and the two have numerous projects planned. Renate is a good friend of Ivaylo and they have worked together previously, highlighting her delicate vocal delivery over smooth house productions. It’s a combination that just feels right every time, so it’s not surprising the two have set a goal of eventually performing live together.

“Guide" is a piece poised to take beaches by storm and dark clubs by night, all just in time for Ibiza and beyond. Renate’s performance for this song is truly one in a million. Think Zero 7’s prodigious "In the Waiting Line" met with club speed and deep acid production from Ivaylo and Slammer. Half of the track is spent building around the vocals with ambient floating pads, acid swirls, and the shuffle of a 606 drum machine. When it does finally hit, the acid shifts into a tug-and-pull relationship between mid-range stabs and low end groove. The lyrical content is full of metaphor, exulting freedom, independence, and exploratory self-resilience.

Each of the release’s three remixers take the track into a more DJ friendly club territory. First up is Demarkus Lewis, a name where the colloquial “just to name a few” doesn’t even do justice to a shortened list of the iconic labels, compilations, and releases he has graced, including his own imprint Grin Music. Needles to say, Demarkus is a name that’s familiar and his remix also — in a way — is that ever familiar, pure and perfect lush house sound. Just the fantastic bass line in a seven and a half minute loop would probably get the job done, so the inclusion of his shortened Rockit Lab Dub is definitely a welcome touch. South Londoner Tom Gillieron (RvS) is a friend of Ivaylo’s from his days frequenting Bulgaria and it is in these good hands that the listener can really feel the special attention given to his dubby tech remix. Tom really gives the package that extra Ibiza push, this time appealing to the cool driving force of big room underground dance floors. Another friend of Ivaylo, Brokesteady DJ group member Andre Bravo finishes off the release in yet another direction, full of a cosmic darkness with a heavy bass growl. Be on the look out for a future Andre Bravo original release through Bogota.

All in all, a stunning performance from the Bogota crew and indications of a bright summer ahead.

Graeme Park - “This is absolutely delicious.”
Chris Fortier (Fade / Mindwarp) - “I love this.”
Tom Lown (Savoir Faire / Lost My Dog) - “This is awesome. Something a bit different … a real stand-out EP. Brilliant original and remixes … I’ll be playing these a lot.”
Inland Knights - “Loving the Demarkus Lewis remix.”
Nick Holder (DNH Records / Treehouse) - “Dope!”
Vincent Kwok - “Great haunting voice.”
Da Sunlounge - “Nice dub from Dermarkus Lewis … wicked stuff.”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “Cracking stuff … I’m particularly into the Tom Gillieron remix, which is pretty sensational to be fair!”
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) - “As usual, high quality and proper deepness on Bogota Records. Lovely release with a wider range of house tunes, with the magnificent Renate adding the frosting on top.”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “There’s a deeply meaningful groove to this and an effective hooky sound … Ibiza sunset vibe.”
Claudio Coccoluto - “The original is an awesome track!”
Richie Hartness (untitledmusic) - “The Tom Gillieron remix is a stunner!”
Dado Funky Poetz (Radio Monte Carlo) - “Soulful house for the summer with a touch of class. Cool.”
Michael Terzian (Motion FM / Salvation From Sin) - “The Demarkus Lewis re-work, as well as the original mix, is solid. Renate’s haunting vocals are a breath of fresh air.”
Myxzlplix (Subdivisions Global Radio) - “Excellent release … solid mixes all around but the Tom Gillieron remix is absolutely stunning.”
DJ Di Costa (MoodyLushious Influences) - “What an extraordinary release. Amazing collaboration … the original mix is simply out of this world.”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.

Laurence Reed - Whispers And Rumours (Household Digital)

Household Digital extends its reach from the coast of California’s Bay Area and into England’s only island city, Portsmouth, with Laurence Reed’s Whispers And Rumours EP. Having over two decades of experience, Reed is a veteran house DJ that has played alongside his share of heavy hitting, cutting edge electronic artists. He’s naturally progressed into capturing these sounds in productions, with releases on labels like Attrakt Records, Sounds of Juan, and Digital Overdose Records.

Reed dives right in on “High People In Low Places” with underwater radar pings, sci-fi pads, melodic keys, and deep sub bass. Introduced by a strong clap, “Ever Done” slowly builds with tonal stabs and bleeps revolving to hypnotic effect before vocal repetitions bring back a human aspect. Taking things one step further, a nuclear meltdown sounding alarm signals the urgent arrival of “Letters On The Fridge,” and soon a jacking bass line enters lock down and radioactive synths begin to seep in. On “Whispers And Rumours” the atmosphere gets deeper as a moody and rich synth groove rises under percussive pitter-patter. Sharp strings cut through a fattened low end and sensual whispers rumour at late night situations.

With his first release coming on EyeQ records in the late ’90s, Tom Gillieron (Turbo, Keinemusik) has had a bright production career that includes the support of some highly influential names. His remix uses cavernous and reverberating stabs, one even sounding as if struggling for breath, along with chugging mechanical effects and a tense, high winding synth. For his dub mix he peels the layers back, but still to a devastating effect. The connecting thread of the Whispers And Rumours EP feels as if it was sown in a tech-filled, industrial warehouse.

Terry Francis (Wiggle / Fabric) - “Hard to choose a favorite. Good EP.”
Tensnake - “I’m loving Tom Gillieron’s deep remix.”
Diz (Iz & Diz / Vizual Recordings) - “Cosmic boogie … very!”
Tyler Stadius - “I love Tom Gillieron’s dub. The groove is heavy!”
Scientific Funk (Wiggle / Evasive) - “Great mix of grooves, bleeps and flavours … underground to the core!”
Tom Lown (Savoir Faire / Lost My Dog) - “Very lush stuff going on in the Tom Gillieron remix.”
Simon Tappenden (Ourra / Pop Out And Play) - “Nice EP! Laurence has got a tough groove going there. But for me, Tom Gillieron’s more dreamy remixes are the choice.”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - “The original cuts are cool here and ‘Ever Done’ is a cracker . But it’s Tom Gillieron’s remixes that are the ones for me. The dub in particular is superb bass-led stabby house at its finest.”
Deepshizzol (MyHouseYourHouse) - “A different kinda jackin’ feel … quiet and deep but still with tuff beats and techy stabs. Nice.”
Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show) - “All versions of ‘Whispers and Rumours’ are great.”
Clive Craske (RadioReverb 97.2FM, Brighton) - “Deep house of the highest calibre. ‘Ever Done’ is almost subaquatic (very Portsmouth). ‘Letters On The Fridge’ is the hardest and my fave cut. Tom Gillieron turns in a couple of superb rerubs.”
Adam Collins (Euphoria Records / Omni A.M.) - “The groove in Tom Gillieron’s remix is HUGE! Amazing … I can’t wait to play this. Household is on fire!”

Available now from Beatport and Stompy.