Mørk - Disco in Odd Times (Beatservice Records)

Beatservice Records' latest discovery is Mørk, AKA Benjamin Mørk, hailing from the island Senja in the northern parts of Norway. Previously active as the leader of an eponymous piano-based jazz quartet, Mørk has surrendered to seduction by electronic circuitry and synthetic melody with his latest release, charmingly titled Disco In Odd Times. The EP presents five examples of Mørk's strange and catchy electro-pop, slightly colored by his jazz background and a newfound joy for analog-driven antics. The results are synth-heavy and rhythmically groovy, with a foot in the '80s and a discernible sense of humor throughout. "Tour de Senja" is the stand-out, abundant in disco laser-sounds and bleepy hooks propelled by a dance-ready four-on-the-floor beat. "Sir Talk-A-Lot" is also aimed at the DJs, featuring an appealing processed vocal line and a decidedly Scandinavian pop aesthetic. The EP's other tracks expand on Mørk's modus operandi in varying tempos and atmospheres, but all retaining the artist's apparent sense of fun and affinity for musical exploration.

Nick Warren - "Brilliant release … I love all the tracks."
Tensnake - "'DIY (Do It Yourself)' is nice."
Rune Lindbæk - "Kül!"
All Good Funk Alliance - "Cool Todd Terje-style bass line and groove on 'Tour de Senja'."
Hard Ton - "Loving 'DIY (Do It Yourself)' a lot!"
Chris Massey (Paper Recordings / Electriks) - "Lovely Norwegian disco vibes … cosmic, funky as heck, and straight up dance floor bombs."
Larry Tee - "Nice one!"
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Great sound!"
Generic People - "Tasty little package … really feeling 'Disco In Odd Times'."
Flash Atkins (Paper Recordings) - "Nice EP … 'Tour de Senja' taking the honors."
Jon Manley (hOUSEwORX Radio Show) - "Classic analog synth action from Mørk … 'Tour de Senja' is the choice for me."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle / Strange Days) "'Tour de Senja' is a wonderful journey!"
DJ Morpheus (Lysergic Factory) - "Excellent disco track here … great fun."
J. Crocker (HMWK Radio Show) - "Fantastic EP full of cool sounds, textures, and creative ideas."
Sam Hopkins (AccuRadio, Chicago) - "Forward-looking as well as nostalgic … I dig it."

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and Spotify.

Lee Houser - Seattle Sessions, Vol. 3 (Uniting Souls Music)

Uniting Souls Music continues its focus on Seattle's long-standing electronic music scene with a stellar new release from Lee Houser. This may seem to be the name of a single person, but it's actually a 'wonder-twin-powers-activate' type scenario consisting of two of the city's more established players. On one side is Jon Lee, who for two decades has influenced Seattle's house music scene through involvement with area record shops, venues, and the storied Tilted Records label. On the other is Simon Houser, known for spending an abundant time in the studio when not DJ'ing across town. Together, as Lee Houser, the pair have releases on a potpourri of underground labels including Proper Slap, KRecordings, and Filter Music.

With the third installment of Uniting Souls' Seattle Sessions series, Lee Houser delivers two formidable late night deep house tracks primed and ready for dance floor elevation. "You Too" begins with a hypnotic bell-like synth pattern and a subdued, repeating pad over a solid four-on-the-floor beat. The track confidently builds as a punchy low end and a helping of psychedelic sounds lead into a dramatic but tasteful breakdown. It's a delicious combination well-suited for after hours adventures. "Don't Even Know" is next, and it's a more laid-back and heady deep house affair. Calming chords are juxtaposed by a commanding bass line and a mysterious vocal snippet while a pizzicato synth line supplies an exotic melody that adds to the wayfaring feel of the track.

Diz (Iz & Diz / Visual) - "Sexy."
Pablo Bolivar - "I'm feeling 'You Too' … nice vibe."
Chris Fortier (Fade) - "This sounds good!"
Vanilla Ace - "Nice one."
Greg Eversoul (Elektek / Evasive) - "Solid!"
Gabe Alexander (SAFE Music / Colectivo Futuro) - "Heady, trippy tunes … I like it."
Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show) - "Both tracks are nice."
Tee Cardaci (Low Down Grooves / Sine Qua Non) - "Another solid release from the Uniting Souls camp … big tunes!"
Deepshizzol (MyHouse-YourHouse Radio) - "'You Too' is definitely a cracking early doors track … nice."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle / Strange Days) - "I like the laid back appeal of 'Don’t Even Know'."
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "'You Too' is a great track … I love that big bass line."
Tariq Ziyad (Nu Urban ERA) - "Dayuuum! This is good … full support."
Sandro Bianchi (Ibiza Sonica Radio) - "I'm really in love with this!"

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, and Spotify.

Mørk - Tour de Senja Remixes (Beatservice Records)

Mørk is Benjamin Mørk from the island Senja in the northern parts of Norway. As an artist, Mørk is actually two-headed. Mørk's first incarnation was as a piano-based jazz quartet, which released the two brilliant albums Karasho (2013) and Meantime Lifetime (2015). But lately, Benjamin Mørk has been playing around with analogue electronic equipment, and the solo electronic version of Mørk saw the light of day with the track "Tour de Senja", released on his own label in the autumn of 2015.

Mørk has now moved his captivating electronic music project to Beatservice Records. "Tour de Senja" has now been remixed for nightclub antics by the duo of Kohib and Kahuun, contributing one mix each. Kohib has kept the original vibe of the original while expanding it and adding some discrete dance floor tricks and that Kohib magic. Kahuun, on the other hand, has radically tweaked the track to a deeper and more leftfield place.

Tensnake - "The Kohib remix is massive."
Vanilla Ace - "Nice disco grooves."
Danny Ashenden (C90s / Earl Grey) - "Kahuun smashes this!"
Rayko (Rare Wiri / Eskimo) - "Very nice!"
Phunktastike (Spirit Soul Music / Undertones Gang) - "Great release here … I love it."
Larry Tee - "Nice one!"
Nadia (Phantasy Sound) - "I like the Kohob remix."
Chris Massey (Paper Recordings / Electriks) - "Tough to call but I think its Kohib mix which scores best here. Lovely slick production on both cuts though (as to be expected)."
Kobana (Proton Music / Hear The Colours) - "Both tracks are amazing."
Taigo Onez (The Essence Radio Show) - "That Kahuun remix … woooooo!"
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "Class, both mixes are excellent. There's such a sense of funk and fun on the Kohib remix."

Available now from Beatport, iTunes, and Spotify.

Lucky Sun - Dreamin EP (Lucky Sun Recordings)

Lucky Sun is the side project from London producer Tom Lown. Having had a string of deep house releases on labels including Lost My Dog, Savoir Faire Musique and UM Records, Lucky Sun now moves in a more leftfield musical direction.

The anchor of the EP is "Dreamin", a mid-tempo affair that features the slightly quirky, crooner-ish vocal talent of the mysterious Troy Bolero. The main vocal floats above strings, melodic bleeps, and almost ethereal, harmonic backing vocals, giving the track a dreamy yet alternative feel. The track also gets an exquisite deep house treatment from Greenish. The producer, well known for his releases on labels such as Ready Mix Records, Deep Clicks and UM Records, takes elements from the original and adds his trademark summery house music sound.

There are also two other superb Lucky Sun originals present on the EP. "Cycles" starts off as a moody percussive groover. It is then transformed and takes on a new feeling when the deep, warm chords come in, adding a splash of sun shine. And then there's "Found", equally deep and featuring a half-time, dub-style groove. With keys, pads, and a super deep sub-bass, this one takes the listener to another place.

Tensnake - "'Cycles' and 'Found' are nice."
Nick Warren - "A very classy release."
Nightmares On Wax - "I'm really feeling the groove on 'Cycles'."
Colin Dale (Abstrakt Dance) - "A well-crafted and well-produced EP."
Tim "Love" Lee (Tummy Touch) - "I dig it."
Kid Loco - "'Cycles' is awesome."
Vanilla Ace - "Nice chilled-out grooves."
Moodymanc (20/20 Vision) - "Lovely vibes throughout!"
Golf Clap - "Really cool!"
Inland Knights - "I'm digging 'Cycles'."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "The Greenfish remix of 'Dreamin' … oh yes!"
Robert Owens - "'Found' … cool track."
Fort Knox Five - "Beautiful downtempo vibe on 'Cycles'."
Daz-I-Kue (Future Soul) - "I'm feeling these deep groovers."
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - "A sunset delight of an EP … 'Found' has a balearic Real Ibiza type feel."
Richie Roberts (BBC, The Dance Factory) - "I'm totally obsessed with this EP … sublime."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "I could listen to this style all day … need more of this sound in my life!"

Available now from Beatport, Juno Download, and iTunes.