Singularis - What A Time (Cold Busted)

Singularis, the talented young beat-wrangler from the Netherlands, first appeared on the Cold Busted label at the age of 16 with his impressive debut album Evening Hours. Since then he's grown both as a producer and in age, now unveiling What A Time, his third full-length for the prestigious downtempo imprint. The album's sixteen tracks combine Singularis's agility with tough hip hop beats, G Funk style lead lines, and spaced-out vibes for a listening experience beyond easy categorization. The album's "Introduction" (appropriately subtitled "Slowmotion") sets the tone with big chords in a layered progression, loping – but swinging – drum machine beats, and Singularis's trademark synth leads. The way Singulars takes this template and playfully twists it throughout is what makes What A Time a memorable ride. Take "Crassinez" for example, which adds strange synth dives and other digital hijinks, as if Aphex Twin stepped in the studio for a quick moment. And also "Bang", a very Singularis-ish interpretation of southern low-rider hip hop, clouding the genre with cosmic atmospherics and vague melody. There's much more to discover here and it's exciting to know, that at his young age, Singulars is just getting started.

Kid Loco - "Great beats."
Poldoore - "Loving the lush vibes."
Dom Servini (Wah Wah 45s) - "Love, love, love this … all killer!"
Rory Hoy (Howlin' Records / Super Hi-Fi) - "An absolutely amazing release!"
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) - "Downtempo crunk? I'm digging it."
Stickybuds (Goodgroove Records) - "Another dope album from one of my favorite labels ever."
Adam Warped (Whiskey Pickle / Strange Days Radio Show) - "Laid back psychedelic pimp vibes."
Double-D (Funky Fresh Radio Show) - "Nice and easy … a modern style."
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - "Beats with a slice of G-funk on the rocks and lo-fi synthesizer funk flirt."
Adrian Lugo (WEFT 90.1 FM) - "Nice beats. tight production. Head nods and boom baps for days."
Morphosis (The Hong Kong Ping Pong Club) - "Damn, son … those beats are swung. Great stuff!"

Available now from Bandcamp, Beatport, iTunes, and Spotify.

Auditive Cosmos - Disco Fiction (Emerald and Doreen)

Auditive Cosmos is an ambitious new project from a prolific veteran German producer who wishes to remain as anonymous as a yet undiscovered solar system. Under this pseudonym, Auditive Cosmos rides galactic disco waves with a cloaking device in full effect, appearing briefly to jettison the Disco Fiction album onto esteemed German boutique imprint Emerald & Doreen Records. This is an interstellar mission to explore the far reaches of dance music.

The sounds throughout the Disco Fiction album are heavily influenced by the Italo and disco scenes of the past few decades but with a modernistic take supplied by the seasoned producer at the helm. Auditive Cosmos supplies bass, drums, electronics, and keys throughout while a talented group of guest vocalists and musicians elegantly fill in the spaces. Highlights include, but are not limited to, the authentic sounding disco blast of "Stargazer", "Driving At Night" and its slo-mo cyborg serenade, the old school electro vocoder nugget that is "Galactic Riders", and the synth-tastic wind up of "Discofiction". With twelve cool tracks in total, there's plenty to get lost in here, and much to get down to. Blast off!

Nick Warren - "Very cool indeed."
Danny Ashenden (C90s / Earl Grey) - "Some quality disco here … I'm impressed!"
Belabouche (Midnight Riot / DiscoDat) - "I'm really liking the sound of this album."
Vanilla Ace - "'Stargazer' is cool."
Severino (Horse Meat Disco) - "This album's pretty fun!"
Moodymanc (20/20 Vision) - "Stand-out stuff!"
Kenny Carpenter (Bond54 / Tony Records) - "I like 'Stargazer'."
Flash Atkins (Paper Recordings) - "A nicely put together album."
Coyote (... Is It Balearic? / International Feel) - "Lovely stuff."
Tim Paris (Marketing Music / My Favorite Robot) - "Some coolness in here."
Rory Hoy (Howlin' Records / Super Hi-Fi) - "A really strong and funky release."
Matti (Kaleidoskop / Jazzanova Radioshow) - "Proper old school disco tracks with that futuristic twist making them work for the dance floor here and now."

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

DJ MFR & Andi Lone - Changes (Transport Recordings)

San Francisco's DJ MFR has teamed up with Italian vocalist Andi Lone for a multi-lingual house music treat, "Changes". Released by MFR's long-standing Transport Recordings, "Changes" delivers a sparkling arrangement of piano chords and floating synth pads over a groovy four-on-the-floor rhythm. Andi Lone's sensual vocals feature a spoken verse in Italian and a sung chorus in English, adding to the exotic vibe of this moving track. Rome-based producer and regular Transport contributor Devid Morrison provides a spacious deep house remix tailor-made for late club nights. Reverb-drenched percussion and a slinky rhythmic backbone perfectly compliment Andi's echoed vocal phrases. Morrison then reveals a stripped-back dub which showcases the underground drive of his production. Also on hand for a remix is renowned DJ / producer Vincent Kwok who creates a smooth and sophisticated re-interpretation of "Changes". Kwok adds a warm low end and lovely synth melodies to act as compliments to Andi Lone's catchy chorus. This one will bring smiles to faces on the dance floor as it inspires the bodies to move.

Graeme Park - "Bloody superb!"
DJ Craig C (Pound Boys) - "Diggin' the deep vibes … the Devid Morrison dub is the heat. Sure-fire!"
Jask (Thaisoul) - "Very nice."
Master Kev - "Cool remix here by Devid Morrison."
Hippie Torrales - "Nice remix from Vincent Kwok."
DJ Bool (Jerk House Connection) - "Devid Morrison's extended mix is a sensual track."
Haldo (Proceed Records) - "Vincent Kwok's mix for me."
Tommy D Funk (Good For You Records / DJ Times Magazine) - "Some pretty remixes on this nicely crafted track … yeah!"
DJ Pippi (Aluminium Records) - "Cool!"
Curtiss Logan (Jersey Soul) - "Loving this release and the sexy, smooth vocals. Great stuff."
Distant People (Foliage / Seamless) - "Effortless soul music … a very hypnotic vibe."
DJ Nova (Rodon FM, Greece) - "Sueno profondo casa Latino. The whole package is a deep house fire … a new West Coast anthem!"
Richie Roberts (The Dance Factory, BBC) - "Transport are one of my favorite labels and this is wonderful."

Available now from Traxsource, Beatport, iTunes, and Spotify.

Zona - Peace Love & Understanding (70x7 Records)

Peace, Love and Understanding is the debut album from the production duo of Dimitri Craven and Jerry Andrews, collectively known as Zona. This eclectic combo, based in Los Angeles, pushes a 'live' deep house style and has had previous acclaimed releases on Good For You Records, Kapa, and House Tribe Records. Zona focuses on the soulful and inspirational facets of house music, collaborating with a number of talented vocalists and players to realize their finely textured sound. 70x7 Records is the pair's own label which plays host to Peace Love & Understanding and its moving twelve tracks.

Zona's album is an ambitious undertaking, as the pair worked on its production on-and-off for seven years. Each song features a vocalist ideally suited to the individual vibe, including Angela McGary, Valerie Moise, and Wade C.Long, among others. Another of the album's highlights is its integration of live instrumentation with the house music beats … the Zona members have a history of playing in live bands and sought to incorporate this feel in their music. The result is a soulful and often inspirational collection of songs, including the Rhodes chord-led "I Am Beautiful", the driving "Slave to the Rhythm", and the warm, positive energy of the album's title track. Peace Love & Understanding will give the dance floor lots to feel good about.

Tyree Cooper - "Really hot sh%t!"
Abicah Soul - "Such nice songs!"
Lenny Fontana - "I'm liking 'I Am Beautiful' and 'It's Alright' … great job."
Hippie Torrales - "Great album. I love the production and the performances."
Robert Owens - "Nice tracks!"
Eddy Spirit (Spirit Crew / Janga Radio) - "There's a summery, light-hearted feel here that penetrates the whole album. Close your eyes and the sand, sunshine and tropical drinks can't be far away!"
Richie Roberts (The Dance Factory, BBC) - "Not very often do you find a house album of such high quality, amazing songs, incredible vocals, and sublime production. Wonderful."
Jamie Topham (CDPool) - "Absolute quality on show from Zona and the featured vocalists here … love, love, love!"
DJ Deelay (Underground Sessions Radio Show) - "Gotta love the soulful vibes here … great vocals. Blissful!"
Sole Notes Of House - "Great way to celebrate the spring season with these feel good songs that'll make the hips sways like tree leaves."
DJ Lolly (Freek FM / Ruff Diamond) - "Nice soulful house … summer vibes and lovely tracks."

Available now from iTunes