Destronauts - Observatory Love EP (Honeywax Records)

Frustrated at the rigid nature of computer-based production, Destronauts spent the past two years working on a more organic, hardware-focused approach to making music. After completely rebuilding his process and studio, the release hiatus is over and Destronauts now kicks off the new year with three tracks made during this development. These deep and evocative techno cuts exhibit the exciting progression of the Brooklyn-based project and its darkly enigmatic style. Included are "Observatory Love" with an intertwining, pendular bass line and percussive shuffles anchoring frenetic 303 riffs; the pensive "Transit" which builds in a hypnotic fashion; and the crawling slow burn "Incommunicado". Mysterious and moody, Destronauts deliver these electronic slices to fill dimly lit spaces.

Laurent Garnier - "I absolutely love this."
Jacques Renault - "'Transit' sounds good to me … I will definitely test it out."
Stacey Pullen - "This is cool."
Reka (Tresor / Deejay Gigolos) - "'Observatory Love' is my favorite. 'Incommunicado' is also cool."
Larry Tee - "I love this."
Phonogenic (Moodmusic / Turbo) - "'Transit' is deep yet slamming, just the way I like it."
Massimiliano Pagliara (Live At Robert Johnson) - "Nice tunes!"
Leigh Morgan (Fancy Human / Urban Torque) - "Cool acid house vibes here. 'Observatory Love' is the one for me."
Vanilla Ace - "Cool grooves."
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) - "Lovely three tracker … 'Transit' has the right groove."
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "This is excellent … 'Observatory Love' is my favorite. I love the 303 action."
Hober Mallow (Excursions / Mighty Reel Radio Show) - "The tempo of 'Incommunicado' is probably closer to where I'm at right now but the whole thing is great techno. Strong stuff."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.

Gavin Hardkiss - Utopia Euphoria EP (Hardkiss Music)

Hot on the heels of the Delusions of Grandeur twentieth anniversary reissue (and its accompanying multi-media tour which still continues), Gavin Hardkiss presents a selection of bright-eyed sounds and vivid meditations. The Utopia Euphoria EP showcases Gavin's ever-developing sun-soaked psychedelic house music style and features some exciting vocal collaborations. "Divine Secret" is a refreshing and joyful four-on-the-floor jaunt featuring the catchy vocals of Tiki, from the Los Angeles band Piel. "Utopia Euphoria" follows with a slight nu-disco touch as the otherworldly voice of Katherine Keats is wrapped in shining synth melodies and bouncy percussion. The third collaboration is the most special for Gavin, as his eight year old son Lucien Gael has dropped vocals for the irrefutably danceable "Waiting Right Here 4 U". The track's guiding pulse is its groovy rhythm, accented by dubby effects and Lucien's effected hooks. "Second Noble Truth" is Gavin on his own, opening with an electronic breakbeat that wouldn't be out of place on Delusions. Gentle keyboards, punchy sub-bass, and shimmering pads connect this with the Hardkiss sound of now. The EP closes with a bonus, sparser Beats Mix of "Divine Secret" tailor-made for the after hours. These are transcendental deep house sounds to help pull you out of your hardened shell … dive in.

Anthony Pappa - "Cool EP. My favorite track here is 'Second Noble Truth'."
Nick Warren - "Wicked … full support."
Alexander Robotnick - "Good release!"
Swedish Egil (Sirius XM) - "'Divine Secret' won't be a secret for long … great groove."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "This is fun."
Jelo (Bugeyedrecords / DGR) - "Refreshing with the obvious nod to the old school. Liking this whole release with 'Waiting Right Here 4 U' being my favorite."
Chris Fortier (Fade) - "Super!"
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - "I'm feeling 'Divine Secret' … nice work."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "A wicked melodic feel … it hypnotizes you."
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "Amazing … music like this enriches your life. It's hard to imagine a more beautiful EP than this."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle / Strange Days) - "Wow … these just get better and better with every listen."
Bob Duskis (Six Degrees Records) - "New music from Gavin is always cause for celebration and this batch is no exception."

Available now from Beatport, iTunes, and Juno Download.

Hamza - Thar (Wind Horse Records)

Wind Horse Records returns to the roots of the label with Hamza's worldly new single "Thar". Since founding Wind Horse over six years ago Hamza has released a number of expressive singles for his growing imprint, as well as on the likes of Colour and Pitch, Freizeitglauben Berlin, Grouper, and Savoir Faire Musique. The foundation of Hamza's 'modus operandi' has been the combination of western and eastern sounds, resulting in a timeless melding of deep house with global instrumentation such as those found in his native India. The two originals on this single certainly display this aesthetic, creating dance floor moments with a distinctive amount of depth.

"Thar" is named after a desert in the Rajasthan state of India, known as a place inhabited by gypsies. These same gypsies travelled south to Spain and influenced the flamenco sound, as referenced in the track. Hamza has been playing with Rajasthani gypsy musicians for many years, and "Thar" stands as a shining example of the fusion of their traditional sounds with deep house. Touching on a different spot in the world, the b-side track "Afro Turk" is inspired by Turkey and Hamza's travels to Istanbul. The rhythm maintains an African influence which inspires the title. Exotic instrumentation and intriguing environmental sounds melt over the layers of percussion and low, growling bass line. The gorgeous extended breakdown could soundtrack a leisurely stroll through the famous Grand Bazaar.

The second half of the single presents a trio of fantastic remixes of "Thar" by members of the extended Wind Horse family. Miami's Juan Mejia (Dutchie Music) is first, delivering a cool and bouncy rendition that balances the dramatic strums with gentle piano notes, all underpinned by some serious house beats. The New Delhi-based Oma is next, adding a touch of darkness to the proceedings. A pulsing low end and a clicky rhythm track propel the track's vision as the dream-like sonic space is wrapped in the more exotic textures from the original. Stalvart John, a DJ / producer from Bangalore, closes out the single with a sparse, dubbier treatment of "Thar." Anchored by a crisp four-on-the-floor, this remix is a heady journey, taking the listener to quite a few different places within its hypnotic seven and a half minutes.

Nick Warren - "I love Hamza's original tracks."
Ben Mono (Undertones Gang / Plant Music) - "Huge release."
Marques Wyatt - "I'm digging this."
Benji Candelario - "'Thar' is a funky tune."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "More excellent vibes from Hamza. I'm particularly digging 'Afro Turk' … I love the percussion and the flow. Remix-wise, Stalvart John turns in a cracker, but the whole EP is great overall."
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit) - "Pretty cool original mixes here, and I also like Juan Mejia's more straight forward version."
Dutchican Soul (Strictly Rhythm / Salted Music) - "Cool tracks and remixes!"
Scheibosan (Shanti Roots / FM4) - "Great tracks … I will play them for sure."
Matt Prehn (Oh So Coy / Large Music) - "I love the percussion on 'Afro Turk' … this'll sizzle at sunset!"
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "I'm a big fan of the exotic eastern sound and here it's done with such a cool, deep twist. The Oma mix just drives and drives with that bass line … fantastic."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle / Strange Days) - "'Thar' is really something special and will definitely be getting a lot of play from me for quite some time."
DJ Di Costa (MoodyLushious Influences) - "Quality release once again on Wind Horse Records. Hamza offers two excellent and truly intriguing mysterious tales. My top pick though is Juan Mejia's remix on 'Thar' … he really managed to enrich the beauty of the track in a whole new level."
Jon Manley (hOUSEwORX) - "Wow, this is superb stuff from Hamza. That breakdown on 'Afro Turk' is stunning. Top marks."
Joshua Jacobs (Music You Need) - "With Middle-Eastern and Asian influences galore, this release makes you feel like you're in the middle of the desert. Groovy, eclectic, and soulful all at once."
DJ Naz (Buddha Bar) - "This release just reminded me why I love this label so much. A return to the melodic warm sound. All the tracks are totally playable and have enough beautiful elements, nice bass lines, strings, and they progress very nicely. Absolutely great!"

Available now from Beatport, Traxsource, and iTunes.

Onionz - Space Slave (Uniting Souls Music)

The latest release on respected Seattle house music imprint Uniting Souls features New York house music legend Onionz. Label founder Ramiro goes way back with Onionz, with the two becoming friends in San Francisco during the heyday of the '90s scene. This EP Is a reunion of sorts, rekindling the creative energies shared between these two house music pioneers for almost two decades.

Onionz's contribution is the cosmically titled "Space Slave" – perhaps a reference to a certain metal-bikini'd intergalactic princess? – and it's a sublime excursion into beat-driven deep tech house. The track builds masterfully over its seven minutes, with echoed arpeggiations and groovy rhythmic elements pulsing in and out of the mix. "Space Slave" is then punctuated by the emergence of a moody, psychedelic synth melody at its peak, evoking the feeling of space travel via the dance floor.

The release also unites vibes from coast to coast, with remixers from three different corners of the US. Seattle's Pezzner opens up proceedings with a haunting feel, displaying his expert combination of beats and atmospheric textures. Pezzner has also supplied a second version of his mix, featuring a subtle shuffle at a slightly speedier tempo. Next up is Los Angeles producer duo Knoe1 and Jordan Strong (a Uniting Souls resident since 1998) delivering a chugging warehouse vibed rework perfectly suited for the after hours. Brian Busto, of Florida's Serious Soul crew, then turns in a dark-as-night remix of "Space Slave", filled with throbbing bass, ominous soundscapes, and crisp machine rhythms. The release closes with San Diego's Jason Tokita whose hypnotic treatment of the track goes deep, and includes some dialogue snippets captured from distant orbit.

Nick Warren - "It's all about the original for me."
Ian Pooley - "Dope Pezzner remix!"
Dubfire - "Cool stuff."
Chris Fortier (Fade) - "Great package. Pezzner is on point, but it's all about Brian Busto delivering his best music effort to date."
Anthony Pappa - "Jason Tokita's remix is a cool track … I will support it."
Randall Jones (Audio Therapy / Baroque) - "Wow! Super sick original and the remixes are extremely dope as well. Gonna be playing these nonstop!"
Larry Tee - "Loving Pezzner's remix."
Phonogenic (Moodmusic / Turbo) - "A sweet slice of post0rave. Brian Busto's remix has a nice Ciafone groove to it."
DJ Schwa (Shades Of Gray / Beef Records) - "The Pezzner remix is awesome."
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart / DCSTrax) - "The Knoe1 & Jordan Strong remix is superb … great work."
DJ Harri (Sub Club) - "Hard to pick a favorite … they are all really good. Full support."
John Debo (Mindwarp Records) - "The original is the one. Love the sequenced melodies and the strings. Really nice builds."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch / Mega Jawns) - "Strong original … I will definitely be playing it. Pezzner's mix though … that's got me dancing in outer space."
Pumpkin (Jumpsuit Records) - "Really good!"
Jaymz Nylon - "I look forward to playing Pezzner's remix … it's so deep and moody."
Richie Roberts (The Dance Factory, BBC) - "Absolute corkers of mixes on here from the Knoe1 & Jordan Strong to the Jason Tokita mix to the incredible original … love love love."
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "Wonderful throughout. I love the diversity between mixes allowing many to be played in the same set. House music of the highest order."

Available now from Beatport, Traxsource, and iTunes.