Vinny Villbass - Diversions Vol. 1 (Beatservice Records)

Vinny Villbass is one of the veteran driving forces behind the Norwegian club scene. In addition to an extensive list of club nights and house parties on his conscience, he is one third of the crew behind the renowned Oslo club night Sunkissed and initiator of the Norwegian web-portal OsloClubCast, building ties between the clubs, DJs, and producers of Oslo. As DJ, Vinny Villbass is known for his exceptional groove and timing as a result of fifteen years behind the decks, mostly in Scandinavia, but also as a resident in the German club capital Berlin, and in New York City. His musical experience also reaches far beyond his DJ and vinyl junkie acumen. As guitar and synth player in diskJokke Band and a master of acoustics, Vinny Villbass's production skills showcase his very own trademark house music sound.

In addition to releases on labels such as Eskimo Recordings, Trunkfunk, and Afro Art, Villbass also has a long history of remixing. In recent years he has been remixing Norwegian bands as 'diversions' from his daily studio focus. Thus Diversions Vol. 1 collects a wide range of Vinny Villbass’s trademark analogue reworks, all produced at his peculiar studio compound at Grünerløkka in Oslo. Working with each band's distinctive energy has resulted in a diverse compilation of contemporary Scandinavian quality, from Norwegian Grammy award-winning bands Beglomeg and King Midas, to Deathcrush, Pow Pow, Radio 9 and The Lionheart Brothers, plus electro-pop artist Sandra Kolstad and jazz futurists Jaga Jazzist. Landing on Beatservice Records, Diversions Vol. 1 offers a plethora of unique and ready-to-get-down nightclub sounds.

Laurent Garnier - "Love Vinny's remix of The Lionheart Brothers' 'The Drift'."
Nick Warren - "Brilliant from Vinny Villbass, a man of great taste."
Rayko (Rare Wiri / Eskimo) - "Yes … very cool release!"
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - "I love this."
Aki Bergen & Richter - "Excellent release. Full support."
Vanilla Ace - "Cool vibes."
Pete Herbert (Reverso 68 / Disco Deviance) - "Superb selection … I'm liking all of these!"
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Good sound!"
Phunktastike (Spirit Soul Music / Undertones Gang) - "Nice release!"
Dima Studitsky (Compost / Sonar Kollektiv) - "Super … fantastic stuff! I love it."
Chris Massey (Paper Recordings / Electriks) - "Lovely, weird, and whacked out vibes … good skills."
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) - "Really nice stuff with a very individual touch."
Richie Roberts (The Dance Factory / BBC) - "This is a superb album, with the stand-outs being the remixes of 'The Drift' and 'Zombie Tapas'."
Leri Ahel (Mutant Disco Radio Show) - "Classy stuff here."
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) - "The sheer sonic breadth of this collection is staggering … brilliant!"

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

JP Soul - Gone is the Time (Roam Recordings)

San Francisco's prolific JP Soul has amassed a quality-consistent catalog of compelling cuts, drawing equally upon his affinity for underground deep house, psychedelic disco, and analog acid. He's been broadcasting these mainly through his acclaimed Roam Recordings imprint, a long-standing label whose first release (his own) came out 15 years ago. The tradition continues with JP's latest, the three track Gone is the Time EP. It opens with the title track which is one of JP Soul's more uptempo tracks. It features a pulsating bass pattern under a series of blasting synth effects and retro-style vocal phrases. The steady drum beats and dramatic chord rises aim this one squarely towards the boogie zone. "Work the Kinks" then captivates with its acidic bass line and ominous pad-scapes, never compromising the heavy helping of electro-funk that is the track's foundation. The EP is rounded out by "Morning Shivers", embracing JP's love of lowered tempos and dreamy, melodic phrases. The interplay of the bass and the layers of keys creates a warm, full sound that will create dance floor delight when played in the early morning hours.

Sleazy McQueen - "Hypnotic and evocative."
Sunshine Jones (Dubtribe) - "I love JP! This is so good."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "Yes … slow and nice."
Galen (Sunset Sound System) - "'Work The Kinks' is the one for me. I love the squirrelly groove."
Coyote (... Is It Balearic? / International Feel) - "'Morning Shivers' is cool."
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - "Another absolute belter from Roam Recordings. All three are glorious, but 'Gone is the Time' made me want to get up and strut around in a kind of robotic, jittery fashion."
Norman Weber (Luna City Express / Moon Harbour) - "Cool EP … I'll play 'Work the Kinks'."
Chris Massey (Paper Recordings) - "Nice rumbling, chugging disco house vibes!"
Tee Cardaci (Low Down Grooves / Sine Qua Non) - "JP is on fire! I'm particularly digging 'Work The Kinks'. Top shelf, synth heavy grooves."
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - "Strong package. JP Soul is follows a path around the acid house era but with one leg on synth-laden cosmic waves."

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

B-Jam vs Enos - Dog Concept (WeGrowWax)

Also known as simply B-Jam when he’s got his funk and disco hat on, B-Jam vs Enos is this talented Edinburgh-based producer's hip-hop and downtempo beats moniker. Flipping crusty old soul and funk samples, integrating vintage and analog synths, chopping up beats, and putting out bumpin’ moody atmospheric vibes is what he does best. Now B-Jam has resumed the voyage with Dog Concept, his debut long player on the WeGrowWax imprint. Within its eleven tracks B-Jam peers beyond the horizon, absorbing fresh, worldwide sounds which reference the past but always look forward.

These brand new jams touch on boom bap, jazz, future beats, and soul, all while stirring hallucinations of ocean views and the pacific highway. The tension of the set's standout track "Incidental Vision" is impossible to ignore with its sense of the unknown, flickering amongst dark drums, moody synthesizers, and a mysterious, proclaiming vocal. Irresistible head-nodders like "Toast" and "Snout Soul" also are on hand to captivate, balancing tough beats with deep and melodic atmospherics. The jazzy "Finding Reality" – a collaboration with Sarkar – and the dance floor soul of "Quadcorkle" – in cahoots with Bethune – reveal other sonic facets of this impressive collection.

Always progressing and soaking up new sounds and ideas, this is another step on B-Jam’s journey into the future. Destination unknown its an enjoyable ride.

Opolopo - "Feeling this!"
Scrimshire (Wah Wah 45s) - "Some great sounds and the beats are heavy."
All Good Funk Alliance - "Really good vibes all over this … super chilled."
Poldoore - "Sick beats … I'll definitely play these out."
The Funk Hunters - "Soulful vibes on this one … love it!"
Dr Rubberfunk (Jalapeno Records) - "Nice vintage Mo'Wax / Talkin Loud vibes here with an up to date edge. Good work all round."
Rory Hoy (Howlin' Records / Super Hi-Fi) - "Amazing release."
Quincy Jointz - "Dope beats, along the lines of Nightmares on Wax."
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - "Nice and blunted vibes. Head-nodding in full effect."
Aja Allsop (Ketch A Vibe Radio Show) - "This is a bit tasty … I can't find a filler track anywhere. Wicked!"
Jay Scarlett (Sounds Supreme Radio Show) - "Sure shot beats for the streets … a great selection of tunes to fire up the dance."
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel Radio Show) - "B-Jam is always great. Killer beats … spoilt for choice here."

Available now from Bandcamp and Juno Download.

An Interview and DJ Mix from Tom Lown AKA Lucky Sun

Seasoned deep house producer Tom Lown has started a fascinating side project named Lucky Sun to focus on the more tranquil, downtempo side of his musical philosophy. His recent Dreamin EP, released by Lucky Sun Recordings, showcased this distinctive and varied sound and gathered support from an eclectic group of tastemakers including Tensnake, Nightmares on Wax, Nick Warren, and Kid Loco. 8DPromo had a few questions for Tom and he was kind enough to give some thoughtful answers.


What do you see as the difference(s) between your Lucky Sun project and productions under your own name and why make the distinction?

Tom: Most of my releases under my own name are deep house and kind of have my sound. Lucky Sun allows me to be a bit different, more eclectic / down tempo / balearic. It’s going to eventually lead to an album which will be a real variety of sounds and moods.

What artists or songs have influenced the Lucky Sun sound?

Tom: So many artists have influenced me and so many are subconscious I think: Sebastien Tellier, 4 Hero, Laura Mvula, Bonobo, Chassol, Jazzanova, Quantic, Kruder & Dorfmeister …

Troy Bolero's vocals on the title track to the Dreamin EP are fantastic and distinctive … how did you find him?

Tom: Troy Bolero was in a band called Headland who I used to play drums for. His real name is actually Tom and funnily enough there were actually four Toms in the band!

What’s in store for Lucky Sun, or for Tom Lown?

Tom: The Lucky Sun full length album will be ready for release at the end of this year. Also, there is a Tom Lown - The Remixes (2009 - 2016) album to be released as a long player in the next few months. It will feature fifteen or so remixes I’ve done for the likes of Sen-Sei & Dano, Rishi K, Pretty Criminals, Harold Heath, Jesus Pablo and a whole load more.

Here's a recent DJ mix from Tom Lown in his Lucky Sun guise, including tracks that run the gamut of his musical personality.