Jeffrey Tice - Embarcadero Station (Whiskey Pickle)

Incoming fresh for 2017, Embarcadero Station is the latest from San Francisco based producer Jeffrey Tice. The former Austin local and resident selector at the Capital City’s hallowed incubator of rave culture, Proteus, touches down with two gorgeous cuts for the Whiskey Pickle label. Lead cut, “Embarcadero Station”, is a shimmering, bottom heavy work-out that touches on the halcyon days of yore when UK acts like Underworld and Faithless reigned supreme. Crunchy kicks and claps are accented by delicate Arp synths and cascading stabs and melodies … lovely tackle right here.

On the B-side the listener is greeted by the equally blissful “You & Me (We Are The Same)” which follows suit with perfectly balanced rhythms and angelic chords. The ’90s flair remains strong with classic stabs and chirpy vocal cuts while the bass line keeps everything nice and tidy for upwards of eight minutes.

Tapped for remixes, Jeffrey connects both of his homelands (Texas & California) by enlisting fellow Austin producer / DJ Coy West and SF based outfit The SyntheTigers. Mr. West steps up first to tackle “Embarcadero Station” and does a lovely job stripping back the groove to create a hypnotic and dub-flavored rework. The SyntheTigers take full advantage of the garage-styles present on “You & Me (We Are The Same)” and amp them up to eleven. Maxing out every vocal bit to create an R&B-fueled floor-shaker, The SyntheTigers turn in something incredibly special that even Todd Edwards would approve.

Chris Fortier (Fade) – “The Coy West Remix sounds good.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Both versions of Embarcadero Station are doing the biz for me.”
Doza (LawnChair Generals) – “Embarcadero Station is a full and fun cut.”
Jaymz Nylon (Nylon Recordings) – “You & Me (We Are The Same) is a true gem.”
Andrew Emil (Four Play Music) – “I Dig the SyntheTigers Remix.”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM 95) – “Whiskey Pickle steps into 2017 with a triumphant release.”
Ken Liu (Headset Hi Fi radio show) – “Really like the SyntheTigers Remix, but loving the original more. Will play on the broadcast.”
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing) – “Very Catchy!”
Distant People (Soul Elements Radio Show) – “You & Me (We Are The Same) is smooth, and the SyntheTigers Remix is wicked.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Killer…Embarcadero Station is such a positive track, will do damage!”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, And Spotify.

Bobby Duron - Say What? (Get Up Recordings)

Next up from Get Up Recordings is the Say What? EP from NYC relative-newcomer Bobby Duron. The package includes two original tracks, “Say What?” and “Untitled”, with remixes of the title track by label owner and NYC DJ / producer W. Jeremy and Chi-town’s John Mörk.

Bobby Duron is making his mark on the music world by creatively merging chicago house, the NY underground, and jazzy and ambient house, in a sound he’s coined ‘seductive house.” Duron has DJ’ed in New York, Chicago, and L.A. at parties such as Brüt and Furball, and at venues such as Stage 48, Santos Party House, The Cock, The Bullet, the legendary Hiro Ballroom (playing along side resident Honey Dijon), and The Eagle NYC (where he holds a residency). His first production opportunity came in 2011 when asked to submit a remix for Beyoncé and he cranked out two #1 Billboard Dance mixes off of her highly successful album 4. Duron has put his remix skills on productions from other artists along with co-producer Kindbud for artists such as Ultra Naté, Rich White Girls, and The Ones. The two tracks from his first release on Get Up Recordings are pure house groovers. “Say What?”, with its pumping bass line and splattered groovy vocal snippets, and “Untitled”, with its housey key patterns, really compliment each other on this EP.

First up on remix duties is Get Up Recordings’ own W. Jeremy. He has an extensive house music industry history starting in the early ’90s through working for such luminaries as Tony Humphries, to holding a 5 year residency at San Francisco’s legendary club The End Up, to working with DJ Pierre where along with label partner, Christy Love, releasing their first couple of records on his label, to traveling the world for DJ gigs from Vienna’s Lifeball, London’s Horse Meat Disco, and NYC’s PS1 Warm-up Series. He has remixed on Trax Records, Good For You Records, KID Recordings, and Kinetika Records. His remix here is a bit acid, a bit tribal, and a whole lot of analog house.

The second remix comes from Chicago DJ / producer John Mörk. It was over a decade ago that Mörk teamed up with producer Frankie J to form the seminal house collab The Sound Republic. The duo exploded onto the scene in 2005 following releases on Dae Recordings, Guesthouse Music, and Guess Who?. Their signature driving sound went on to play a crucial role in shaping the future path of Chicago house. In 2013 he and fellow Chicago veterans Trancid, Alinka, Chris Grant, and Karl Almaria launched Nü: The Outer Space Disco Dancing Society of Chicago, a monthly party at the infamous goth club Neo. Mörk has also produced remixes for Midnight Magic, The New Division, Speck Mountain, Change Request, W. Jeremy, Christy Love, and Goldroom, and has released music on Nu Jax Music, Seasons Recordings, Plus Plus, and his own label NBD Music Company. His remix here embodies his signature bumping jazzy, acid groove.

DJ Nova (Nova Planet Radio Show) – “The whole release is a dope underground weapon!”
Enne (Electunes / Karmaloft) – “John Mörk mix is for me!”
Tommy D Funk (Good For You Records) – “Dope as Hell! John Mörk’s Remix is absolutely brilliant.”
DELLA (No Dial Tone) – “Digging W. Jeremy’s Remix. I’m liking the balance of the 303 acid sounds with the proper Deep House.”
Marcia Carr (Mi-Soul Radio) – “Adept tools to werq the club floors!”
Lee Jones / Country Gents (Buslife) – “Crikey, the Analog Only Mix knocks my socks off. Amazing.”
Dr. Best (Radio Z – Germany) – “The Original Mix of Say What is the one for me here.”
Robot84 (Paper Recordings) – “Quality house tunes. Lovin’ this.”
Velanche (Club 91 Radio Show) – “Diggin’ the analog vibe … funky!”
Steve ‘Griffo’ Griffiths aka F (Fluid Radio Show) – “Nice selection of styles. I like the broken beat vibe of John Mörk’s mix, but my vote goes to 'Untitled' which will do the most damage for me.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, And Spotify.

Usmev feat. Camilla Luna - A Reason To Dance (Bogota Records)

On the latest Bogota Records release, longtime label collaborator Usmev joins forces with vocalist Camilla Luna for an evocative two-tracker that also features an upfront remix by none other than Johnny Fiasco. A conservatory-trained pianist and guitarist, Usmev is no stranger to Bogota having appeared on the imprint’s debut release, ‘Themes’. Uruguayan-Norwegian vocalist Camilla Luna is known as one-half of Luna & Bazis on WahWah45s and vocalist for Trulz & Robin’s releases on Eskimo and Dance Disorder’s “Metallic Italic” (Bpitch Control). With “You’ll Find Your Reason To Dance” Camilla is heard for the first time on Bogota, accompanying the warm, deep house tones found in Usmev’s production. The sound is underground and somewhat cavernous, imagining hazy late nights and dreamy excursions. Camilla’s vocals are layered and effected, simultaneously soulful and enigmatic. The b-side, “Maybe This Is Love”, is a comparatively uptempo affair with a more refined drum track and vocal line in the midst of shimmering chords. Camilla’s vocal performance is especially intoxicating here. As a bonus, Chicago legend Johnny Fiasco is on board with another in his stream of masterfully club-primed remixes (and his second for Bogota Records). “You’ll Find Your Reason To Dance” is given extra momentum, as the bass line is moved the fore and the rhythm track gets a dose of Chi-town floor funk. These three cuts continue Bogota Records’ run of distinctive high-quality singles.

Mr. V (Sole Channel Music) – “Johnny kills it!”
Lee Guthrie (Click Therapy / Wiggle) – “Johnny Fiasco Remix all the way for me here.”
Satoshi Fumi (Outerspace radio show / Klik Records) – “Massive!”
Craig Stewart (Montana & Stewart) – “The original of ‘You’ll Find The Reason’ is very tasty.”
Edground (Grooveland Music) – “I’ll play this for sure.”
Sumsusch (Colour and Pitch) – “Johnny Fiasco remix is lovely.”
Hard Ton (Toy Tronics) – “The original version is the one for me.”
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing) – “Great release. Very fresh.”
DJ Nova (Nova Planet Radio Show) – “Camilla Luna’s soulful vocals are giving a mutli-dimensional sound to the release, making it far from just a typical underground release.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Real) – “Solid mixes right through here. I’m liking the B side a lot too … great voice and vibe on this one! Sweet, moody and soulful.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, And Spotify.

Various Artists - Discordian Dreaming 8 (Harmonious Discord)

The Harmonious Discord label ceremonially introduces each year with a new installment of its Discordian Dreaming series, previewing what the label has in store over the coming months. This eighth edition features an abstract collage of sounds fitting for an evening of mindful expansion and dance floor excursions. Included are label mainstays Dorian, Onium, Tobor Rellik, and Josiah Fontenot plus appearances by new artists Triptique and Joshua Davidson alongside the return of legacy legend Litex. This set will offer a shine of interest to every tech-house collector.

Onium begins the release with dub laden saxophone serenade. Crisp percussion and tense atmospheres collide with dense melodies. Dorian resets with an afro-cuban-inspired percussive techno journey. A beautiful mixture of celebration and energy, “Run Run Run” is a full narrative told in music. Joshua Davidson makes his debut on the label with a pensive, deep tech-house performance. Warm accents roll through this cut and Josh shows that his talent for creating complex moods is polished. Josiah Fontenot follows with a non-typical linear techno composition. With a strong focus on character and warmth this tracky bicep beat continues to deliver. Dallas native Tobor Rellik moves us onto the dance floor with a plucky tech-house tune with automation into filthy territories. Triptique then provides a nightclub-favored alternative with hypnotic sweeps and Moroder-esque bass lines. HD001 artist Litex returns with a heavy and driving track that flows into spacey progressive territory but stays crisp with technique.

Colin Dale (Abstrakt Dance Records) – “I really like Joshua Davidson’s “Hue”. Deliciously different.”
Atish (Desert Hearts) – “Some really nice sounds in this package.”
lar3n (Noir Sessions) – “Solid EP with great tracks. It’s difficult to chow the best one, however Hue is the one that stands out for me.”
Dubinski (Opossum Recordings) – “Very nice and versatile package. I especially like the dubby vibe of Onium’s “Held Tight”, but will surely play others in here.”
Michael Sarafini (Gramaphone Records) – “Dorian – Run Run Run is a solid, melodic track.”
Al Mackenzie (Great Outdoors) – “Dorian’s track is ace!”
DJ Firefly (Couch Dancing) – “Impressive showing of variety and creative talent.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Very hot release. Every track is quality. Onium – Held Tight is particularly awesome.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Sounding brilliant!”
Jon Fugler (Fluke) – “Tricky to choose a favorite from a compilation of this quality. Loving all the techy tracks, and Inner Malfunction reminds me of a previous life … very cool. Held Tight is my immediate fave.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Juno Download, iTunes, AND Spotify.