Usmev - Deepermeister EP (Cymasonic Recordings)

Cymasonic Recordings resurfaces to proudly present the Deepermeister EP by Barcelona's Usmev. The Spanish producer embarks on a deep sea safari of mediterranean beats drenched in warm blankets of sonically delightful intricacies, exactly the kind of sounds that make for early DJ set staples. Starting out with "Aerotronic", Usmev exposes pinging frequencies that serve as the siren call of machines, not yet discovered by man -- until now. The second track, "Dive In You", is a moody mixing tool with vibrant keys and smooth synths combining for a jazzy flavor. The title track, "Deepermeister", follows with more rich melodic movement, but this time with a massive percussive groove, an unrelenting rumble in the low end, and effortlessly cool vocal bits. Rounding off the release, "Silver Dream" delivers a heightened sense of urgency and danger, extending depths into the darker crevices of sound in search of auditory treasure and bubbling with excitement.

Nick Holder- “This is dope!”
Giom - “Liking ‘Deepermeister’ for sure.”
Nick Warren (Hope Recordings) - "‘Deepermeister’ is a gem."
Daniel Bortz (Suol / Pastamusik) - “Nice EP.”
Hollis P. Monroe (Renaissance Infinity) - “Nothing but deep, raw goodness here ... full support on all of these.”
Chris Fortier (Fade) - "Nice deepness."
Diz Washington (Iz & Diz / Vizual Recordings) - “‘Aerotronic’ is deep indeed!”
John Selway (CSM) - "Very nice!"
Distant People (SSRadio / Foliage) - “Dripping with class and deep … into this mix. ‘Silver Dream’ is also hot, reminds me of being chased in a space horror film and I like it!”
Rafael Moraes (Nomumbah / Yoruba) - “Nice EP … ‘Dive In You’ is my favorite.”
Tom Lown (Savoir Faire / Lost My Dog) - “Very deep stuff! I like this a lot … especially ‘Deepermeister’.”
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit) - "Serious deepness from the 'meister". Four great tracks here."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - “Lovely, loopy, lounging luscious lumps of musical joy (sorry I ran out of 'L' words).”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings / Fabric) - “Outstanding EP. Feeling the opening and closing cuts ‘Aerotronic’ and ‘Silver Dream,’ the latter is particularly glorious.”
Pete Williams (Natural Rhythm) - "Deep and techy … ‘Dive In You’ is my favorite.”
Eric Davenport (Guesthouse) - “Great for Sunday night lounge parties ... for an educated crowd.”
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle Records / Strange Days) - “Deep, intelligent, and groovy!”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.

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Lil' Mark - Plan B EP (Get Up Recordings)

Get Up Recordings continues to establish itself as purveyors of fine underground house music with the Plan B EP from veteran UK DJ and producer Lil’ Mark. The release contains two original tracks, “Blue” and “Bipolar”, each with accompanying remixes from Justin Harris and House of Stank.

Lil’ Mark is no stranger to Get Up Recordings, having remixed Alinka’s track “Reaching’’ for her Basic EP earlier this year. On Plan B, he is back in action with his signature pumping deep house and smooth production work. A taste of the Chicago house sound can be heard here as Mark has a deep connection with the city after living and touring with Derrick Carter in 1997. Mark’s bumpin’ style can also be heard on releases from Classic Music Co., MFF, Bump, Viva Recordings, and Hot Waves.

On the first track, “Blue”, Lil’ Mark’s tech house groove is catchy in the way that the melody becomes the hummable ‘lyrics’ while the bass and beat provide the backbone. The remix for this track comes from none other than the amazing Justin Harris. The two have been working on projects together for some time now with collaborations on labels such as Viva Recordings and Pin Up Recordings. Like Lil’ Mark, Justin has an illustrious history in the UK house scene, both as a producer and as a DJ. His most renowned work has been with Luke Solomon for the past 17 years on the Freaks projects, with releases on Perlon, Playhouse, International Deejay Gigolo, Hot Creations, Crosstown Rebels, and of course, the legendary Music For Freaks (MFF) and Classic Recordings. Here he takes “Blue” deeper, adding a disco sample that builds up and then takes it back down even further into the depths of smoothness.

The second track, “Bipolar”, is a bit more of a freeform, fun, and trippy tech house jam. As with “Blue”, one can hear his mastery of orchestration and how he uses bleeps and turns them into swinging grooves to accompany the bass and melody. Get Up Recordings label owners Christy Love and W. Jeremy, a.k.a. House of Stank, give “Bipolar” their quality remix formula: one part drums, one part melody, and one part bass that equal all energy. They take Lil’ Mark’s bass line and make it the melody, and they take his melody and make it the bass line, resulting in a track that -- while still in the same vein as the original -- is unique enough to stand on its own.

Mark Farina - “Hot!”
DJ Sneak - “Nice EP … solid all around.”
DJ Heather - “As per usual, great stuff from Lil' Mark. Great remixes as well!”
Johnny Fiasco - "I dig it!"
Giom - “The Justin Harris remix is the one for me.”
Christian Martin (Dirtybird / Anabatic) - “'Blue' is so badass.”
Larry Fives (Inland Knights / Drop Music) - “All round goodness.”
Matt Prehn (Oh So Coy / Large Music) - “All about Justin Harris’ version on this one - hypnotica at its finest!”
Carlos Sanchez (La Vie En Rose / Supernature) - “The ‘Blue’ original and Justin Harris remix are dope!”
Alinka (Classic Music Co. / Tribal) - “Love the whole release, great work!”
Randall Jones (Audio Therapy / Baroque) - “Sick tunes right here ... quality as usual.”
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) - “Both versions of ‘Blue’ are fantastic! Lovely groove on the original mix and Justin Harris squares it pretty good too.”
Marcia Carr (Mi-Soul Radio / Ladyz) - “I like the mix of analogue keys with funky effects over the bass line on 'Bipolar' - that House of Stank remix is a corker, it will keep the floors a-movin’.”
Chris Harris (Tronicsole / Nordic Trax) - “Loving the two original mixes ... quality house music from Lil' Mark!”
Tee Cardaci (Low Down Grooves / Sine Qua Non) - "I can hear Chicago from across the pond …solid!"
DJ P-Rez (Not So Fast Records) - “Loving the little 303 line in the House of Stank remix of ‘Bipolar.’”
Michael Stukes (WHR 90.3FM, New York) - “Too funky in here!”
Sam Hopkins (AccuRadio, Chicago) - “Both originals are stellar, but the remixes shine! Justin Harris' mix adds some nice bass weight and the House of Stank mix of ‘Bipolar’ does the same.”

Available now from Beatport and Juno Download.

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Zac Love - Lend Me An Ear (Cold Busted)

Cold Busted is pleased to finally cozy up with familiar label artist Zac Love for a much deserved album release. Lend Me An Ear marks his first full outing on the label, having previously contributed to multiple various artists compilations. There's obvious 'Love' in Zac's name, and the love in his sound is equally so … it comes from lush strings and atmospheric touches laced with drum break beatdowns. He grew up in New Jersey and is heavily influenced by the Golden Era boom bap sounds of the East Coast. Also a member of the Belmar Sol trio and record label, Zac is not afraid of spreading his musical ideas across straight-up instrumental hip-hop, chill downtempo tracks, and uptempo funk jams. Lend Me An Ear follows suit featuring the snappy drums and chopped up bright melodic content of "Choppy Waters Ahead", the vibe-laden and soul-drenched downtempo of the title track, the slightly more jazzy swing of the funk filled "Crazy Meters", and plenty of other highlights for those in search of feel good beats with plenty of traction.

DJ Moneyshot (Solid Steel Radio / NinjaTune) - "Iller than a week in bed with the flu."
Kid Loco - "Real hip hop beats."
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - "Lovely soul music."
Mark Farina - "This is nice!"
Danny Massure (Spring Strut) - "Nice and groovy!"
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - "I'm almost expecting to hear Q-Tip appear in one of these tracks. Solid work!"
Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s) - "Quality beats."
Monk-One (Names You Can Trust / Wax Poetics) - "Nice stuff. I'm digging the classic '90s boom-bap style."
Trotter (Royal Soul Records) - "Dope! I love it."
Quincy Jointz (Timewarp Music) - "I love this fresh downtempo stuff."
Yogi Haughton (Scottish Soulful Weekender) - "Killer album … right up my street."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle) - "Another excellent release from what as quickly become my favorite downtempo label."
Aja Allsop (Ketch-A-Vibe Radio Show) - "These beats are magical from the start to finish … this my cup of tea."
Joan Ribas (Ibiza Soulstice Music / Cafe del Mar) - "Excellent breaks and downtempo vibes."
Marc Lacasse (sHIFT Radio Show, Canada) - "Stellar instrumentation that delivers a wicked punch of soulful driven vibes in each track."
Lemar Soulflower (Soul Deep NYC) - "Hard to pick a favorite … all of these are super well done and some sprint fast towards the 'stone cold classic' category."
Deadbeat Disco Radio Show - "Whoa, this is wicked! Top quality selection of breaky beats and deepness … the whole thing rolls along with ass-shaking, head-nodding bumpiness."
DJ Nartak (Nightflight / Klassik Lounge) - "Cold Busted at its best."

Available now from Beatport and Bandcamp.

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Everyone But None - Earth and Wind (bodytalk)

Playa Del Carmen-based Everyone But None delivers the bodytalk label's third release with Earth and Wind, an EP featuring three original house music cuts. "Earth and Wind" kicks things off with a deep, sultry, and classic-sounding house melody and a mesmerizing break, perfect for a calm Sunday afternoon. "Everything Making Sense" takes a different direction with its sleazy bass line and ghostly desire-filled vocals -- a sure hit for the portion of the night best suited to slow-mo sounds. "Just Dance", the dirtiest of the three, comes loaded with a kick that will resonate through any sound-system and a tripped out vocal menacingly leaving no option but to do as the title commands. Finally, what would a release be without a little help from friends? Label honcho Rey Aguilar lends his seasoned technique to remixing "Earth and Wind". The Aguilar style is all over this one with energetic drums moving the track in a forward motion and a chugging peak time groove topped by piano stabs. The release reminds once again that the relatively young bodytalk label does not disappoint.

Chris Fortier (Fade / Mindwarp) - "Good stuff!"
Scheibosan (Shanti Roots / FM4) - "'Just Dance' is fat! Nice one."
Fine Cut Bodies (Chi Recordings) - "Nice groovy EP! I'm loving the deep vibes on 'Everything Making Sense'."
Hippie Torrales - "Some nice aggression on 'Just Dance'."
Norbert Borchers (House Sound of Hamburg) - "The Rey Aguilar remix of 'Earth and Wind' rocks!"
Myxzlplix (Subdivisions Global) - "Perfect for those late nite adventures."
Eric Davenport (Guesthouse) - "Solid spacey house music. 'Just Dance' is particularly nice."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle) - "'Earth and Wind' is a beautiful piece of music."
Sam Hopkins (AccuRadio, Chicago) - "'Earth and Wind' and 'Everything Makes Sense' are both lovely tracks, and Rey Aguilar's beefed up remix is dope."
Bobi (City Radio 94.7 FM, Macedonia) - "Deep, smooth, mellow, and well produced."
Marcia Carr (Mi-Soul Radio / Ladyz) - "Effective deeper grooves to fortify late night dance floor vibes. The disco-bass-thrill of Rey Aguilar's remix is fierce."
DJ eMe (Tunnel FM / Deep & Deeper) - "Dope tunes here, especially 'Everything Making Sense' … I will absolutely support."
DJ Deeka (Radioactive FM, New Zealand) - "'Earth and Wind' is so good … hypnotizing vox and rich bass line, couldn't ask for more. I like the deep vibe of 'Everything Making Sense', too."
Michael Stukes (Mystic Vybes Radio Show, NYC) - "Earth quaking and body shaking!"
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House) - "A gorgeous slice of old school infused deepness."

Available now from Beatport.

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