Jeffrey Tice - Chromatic (Harmonious Discord)

For many people, the rich tapestry we experience is a mixture of shades, hues, and palates that paint a vibrant and ever-changing outlook of our world and its changes. For Jeffrey Tice much of that tapestry is undefined. Born color blind, Jeffrey interprets art through a restricted lens. That has not stopped him from loving and appreciating the diversity of the world. Jeffrey’s music bursts with color, defying uniformity. A mainstay on the Harmonious Discord imprint, Jeffrey’s sound has evolved to encompass his many years of experience living in Austin and San Francisco, within two of the most vibrant music communities in the country. Chromatic is a five-selection project that weaves through intricate shapes and colors with common uplifting themes and progressions.

Chromatic lifts spirits and moves feet with perfectly tempered, well-intentioned grooves. Jeff decided to use a TB-303 throughout most of the EP, carefully distinguishing its use in each selection. In “Chromatic,” the 303 sits on top of perfectly placed melodies and collides with ever-ascending energy. “Haruspex” opens with dulcet synths and quickly drops into a proper dance floor rhythm. Tones rumble and dance as the song builds. Keeping the vibe light but the precision exact, “Haruspex” drives us deeper into the chromatic scape. “Once Again, My Friend” changes the mood with a rough-edged acid creeper. Packed with intensity and nostalgia-inspired vocal work Jeff offers a driving rendition certain to spark foot movement. Label front-man PointBender joins the project to offer a different take on the acid journey. In normal ‘bender fashion, the remix offers similar roughness with a smooth interplay of bass and synthesizer construction. The remix culminates in a melodic reprise of colliding synthesis amid blurred vocal abstraction and driving percussion. “Last Dance for Dionysus” closes the EP with class. Percussion-filled and west-coast inspired, this selection brings the fresh waves of the bay to the listener.

Nick Warren (The Soundgarden / Hope Recordings) – “Chromatic is a wicked track, and I’m digging the PointBender remix as well.”
Taigo Onez (Bang Le’ Dex Radio Show) – “This is sooo nice! Haruspex is my favorite, although I love the full release. This is a beautiful body of work.”
Tyler Stadius (Deepsite) – “Love the acid!”
Matt Prehn (Oh So Coy) – “There’s something catchy about Chromatic, fresh take for sure.”
Miles Buckingham (Radioactive FM) – “Finely textured and propulsive.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Last Dance For Dionysus is the cut!”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Loving the sonic diversity of this release with Chromatic and the PointBender remix topping my chart.”
Jeannie Hopper - (WBAI FM) – “Excellent sonics on this release, Wow! I’m loving Chromatic and Haruspex.”
Jennifer Kyle (Radioactive FM, Wellington) – “Awesome bit of Acid, great release all around.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel show) – “Beautiful EP, I love the flow and emotion of it, especially on Chromatic. Full support!”

Available Now From Beatport, Traxsource, Apple Music, And Spotify.

Legs 11 - The Rhythm (Scandolearic Mixes)- Beatservice Records

Oslo’s Legs 11 lend “The Rhythm” — a stand-out track from their recent album Another Wave — to delicious remix treatments from the crème de la crème of the current Norwegian house scene. Legs 11 is a cool live band with roots in electronic music, known for exchanging instruments and vocals in the middle of sets inspired by new wave, post-punk, and the edges of house music. “The Rhythm” is a track ripe for remixing, with a delirious vocal hook and energy that glows brighter than the Norwegian summer sunshine.

With only a few rare 12”s for Cleanroom and Southside Shuffle, Tom Dragebo is a hidden gem in the Norwegian scene. He makes an inspired reappearance for the first remix on the single, fashioning “The Rhythm” as a building, volcanic dance floor workout featuring wild stereo-bouncing synth pulses. Kellini (Midnight Riot, Disco Fruit), a fresh, rising name in Norway’s house scene, is next with his Rett Hjem Remix. The Italo-influenced bass line means business here, as do the heaps of low end and addictive drum drive. Tromsø’s Third Attempt, one of the newer Beatservice acts, take “The Rhythm” in a moodier direction. The crisp production and dubbed out vibe create a captivating atmosphere that compliments the original. Kellini returns to close out the single with the bonus Skrangledisco Remix. This is a tongue-in-cheek tribune to the original ‘scandolearic’ disco popularized by the likes of Bjørn Torske and Rune Lindbæk. Cheeky or not, it’s a late night disco monster worthy of DJ play around the globe.

Nick Warren (The Soundgarden) – “Lovely release. The Kellini Rett Hjem Remix is the one for me.”
Rory Hoy (Howlin’ Records) – “Great track. Tom Dragebo’s remix does it for me with it’s Acid House Awesomeness!”
Jon Fugler (Fluke) – “This is truly the track that keeps on giving … mint!”
Chris Massey (Paper Recordings) – “That remix by Tom Dragebo is HOT! So is that Kellini remix too, big package!”
DJ Morpheus (Lysergic Factory radio show) – “An excellent package. All of the remixes are exciting and catchy, and I like them a lot.”
Stereo 77 (Plimsoll Records) – “Fantastic Remixes.”
Alinep (Asia Music) – “Tom Dragebo’s remix is top.”
Salvatore Logicfusion (Deepinradio) – “Hot grooves for the dancefloor.”
Zach Van Lue (91X) – “Sick! My favorite track from the album, so I’m stoked to have remixes.”
Belabouche (Midnight Riot) – “Yeah! The Kellini Skrangledisco Remix is cool.”
Jarle Bråthen (Full Pupp) – “Great stuff! Tom and Kellini remixes work for me for sure.”

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

Suff Sakoor feat. Anna-Marie Johnson - Need The Funk (Pretty Chief Records)

Pretty Chief Records and The Mange Le Funk Collective are back with another high quality house music single featuring the sweet soulful voice of the amazing Anna-Marie Johnson. The finest soulful house label on England’s southern coast, Pretty Chief Records has been going strength-to-strength with releases from the core label family of Suff Sakoor (AKA DJ Suff) and Maurice Bird (AKA Beathaven) who, together, form Mange Le Funk. Anna-Marie Johnson — lead vocalist for Drizabone Soul Family and the hot single “Tranform” on Rhemi Music — has returned to the label to lend her voice magic to Suff Sakoor’s “Need The Funk”, the latest Pretty Chief release.

The single launches with a remix from another member of the Pretty Chief family, Richie Blax. His version is an uplifting vocal soiree, incorporating UK garage-inspired beats, funky disco flavors, and melancholic undertones. DJ Suff then lends his own potent re-rub, the SS Old Skool Ivory Mix. It’s a veritable soul shakedown, featuring sweet, sultry orchestral strings, quirky piano licks, funky guitar, and the emotive vocal from Anna-Marie. The single closes with Maurice Bird’s Beathaven Remix which introduces a touch of funky tech. This mix has an essence of early ‘90s dub house, Latin-tinged percussive beats, and a deep, resonating body-shaking bass line. “Need The Funk” is the soulful business!

Lenny Fontana (Ministry of Sound) – “The Richie Blax Mix is a real classic.”
Craig Stewart (DCSTrax) – “All mixes are very strong. Superb dance music, brilliant.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit Of House Web Zine) – “Smooth and soulful summery vibes.”
DJ Craig C (Peace Bisquit) – “Sexy track with a great vocal!”
DJ Nova (Rodon FM 95) – “The piano stamped SS Old Skool Ivory Mix is the one here, with it’s hypnotic bassline, bongos, cool summer vibes all over.”
Richie Roberts (The Dance Factory / BBC) – “This is absolutely wonderful … tracks like this don’t come around every day.”
Alan Powell (The Midnight Mix on Solar Radio) – “Very nice tune. One for the peak time slots.”
Curtiss Logan (Jersey Soul) – “Very nice release. I like the Beathaven mix, it has good energy. Good job on this one.”
DJ ARCH (Pressure Radio) – “Lovely deep, soulful house. Great production and nice vocals.”
Jonny Layton (The Saturday Soulmine) – “This track has got the FUNK! Love it.”
Jon Manley (hOUSEwORX) – “Outstanding Soulful, bumping House right here from Suff Sakoor. Classy vocal from Anna-Marie. Difficult to pick a favorite mix, they all work so well. Supporting for sure!”

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

Alex Kolodziej - Workaholic (forTunea)

Alex Kolodziej, a German with Polish roots, now firmly based in Vienna, has been one of the most in-demand techno and house DJs in the Austrian capital since the early 2010s. With a limited number of productions released to the public, Alex’s DJ sets have been the main avenue for others to hear his tracks. Now Alex has revealed a crucial three track single for the forTunea label. Leading with “Workaholic”, the release quickly establishes a hallucinatory deep house vibe, thanks to the pulsing bass drone and enigmatic spoken vocal that open the track. Crisp percussion and building melodies develop throughout the dream-like affair without ever losing grasp of the dance floor. “Slacker Attitude” gets into down-and-dirty territory, introducing a throbbing, funky bass line under the cut’s slinky tempo. Strange vocals pop in and out, and various treatments and tone splashes imply a covert operation in progress. Viennese DJ/producer Peletronic (Hungarian Hot Wax, Underluxe Records) provides a spacey remix of “Slacker Attitude” to close the single, showcasing strategically placed sonic hits and flourishes that compliment the steadily reverberating pad and insistent kick drum. Late night satisfaction guaranteed.

Dean Facer (Resident Advisor) – “Very nice indeed!”
Chris Udoh (Tigerhook) – “That (Peletronic) late night dub though!”
Tony H (Viva Recordings) – “I really dig the Workaholic track.”
Simon G (Volcano Radio) – “I love Workaholic’s bumping, heavy bass line. Winner!”
Larry Tee (Carnage Music) – “Hot one!”
Makossa (Makossa & Megablast) – “Some solid tracks here.”
Jamie Topham (CD Pool UK) – “Cool production across the whole EP. Peletronic’s Late Night Dub of Slacker Attitude grabbed my attention the most on here though.”
Greg Fenton (Magazine Sixty / DMC Magazine) – “Good Dub by Peletronic.”
Andrew Duke (Andrew Duke in the Mix) – “I’m very impressed with this label.”
DJ Tronic (Dancefloor Mayhem Blog) - “Really like the Late Night Dub. Will play on my radio show.”

Available Now From Beatport, Traxsource, Apple Music, And Spotify.