Hamza Rahimtula & Mehul Pant - Tonemes (Viva Recordings)

Since founding Wind Horse over a decade ago, New Delhi DJ and producer Hamza Rahimtula has released a number of expressive singles for his pioneering imprint, as well as on the likes of Kompakt, King Street, and Adaptation Music. Hamza’s musical mission has been to seamlessly merge floor-driving deep and tech-house styles with a reverent helping of global musical traditions. On his latest single for Viva Recordings, Hamza expands on this by delving deeper and techier into his distinctive style. And on the flip side, he introduces Mehul Pant, a fellow New Delhi-based DJ/producer and collaborator on the single’s title song.

The first cut is “Bourj Hammoud,” potently driven by a pulsing low end. A kick-and-hi-hat shuffle is accented with distant vocal proclamations as the track steadily builds. A gorgeous and ghostly breakdown introduces exotic melodies, and the tune masterfully opens up with crisp percussion. “Tonemes” follows, and Hamza is joined by Mehul Pant for an excursion into the deep and minimal. Percussive electronics are accompanied by reverbed hits and washes, and various sonic treatments float in and out of the stereo field. The track has a dead-of-night feel, effectively soundtracking a tight afterhours affair. This one’s for deep diving.

Mr. V (Sole Channel Music) – “Bourj Hammoud is great! Love the deepness.”
Bryan Lyons (Flammable) – “Super deep & Super good. Can’t wait to bounce this on a system.”
KJ (Integrity Recordings) – “Deep & Moody late night offering.”
Spaceotter (Camp Conception/SCOHM) – “Bourj Hammoud is so deep, chill and evocative. Love it.”
Rob Paine (Worship Recordings) – “Super dubby and groove, just how I like my riddims. The landscape is nice too. Ancient vibes!”
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) – “Smooooooth! Two great tracks for different moods. Awesome as ever.”
Hippie Torrales (Cyberjamz Radio) – “Digging this nice, deep groove.”
Miguel Garji (Deepfusion Radio Show) – “Great job. Support on Ibiza Global Radio.”
Sandro Bianchi (Ibiza Sonica) – “Tonemes for me!”
Taigo Onez (Bang Le’ Dex) – “Oh now this is absolutely lovely! Fantastic compositions from Hamza Rahimtula & Mehul Pant. Full support!”
Jay Zimmerman (Block FM) – “Love the slow, bubbly groove that keeps on going. Feels like I’m floating over the sand dunes of Tatooine.”

Available Now from: Bandcamp, Beatport, Traxsource, Apple Music, And Spotify.

Aidin Hafezamini & Visions of Glosters - Wizard of Oz (Harmonious Discord)

Harmonious Discord is all about Texas artists. The label was born in the expansive state where talent knows no boundaries. Its focus has been on displaying the underground talent of the state coupled with contributions from friends near and far. Two exciting new artists making impressions in the grand state are Aidin Hafezamini (Denied, Audiophile Deep, This and That) and Visions of Glosters (Audiophile Deep front-man). Harmonious Discord is excited to give you their first release on the label with the perfectly odd Wizard of Oz. Joining the project to explore new variations is industry icon Joshua Collins (Audio Soul Project, Underground Construction) with two remixes and HD frequent Tobor Rellik with a dubbed out techno re-envision.

“Wizard of Oz” is laden with spook and surprise. Chunked-out percussion plays off of often random and disorienting synthetics and samples. The original mix chugs along and builds like a dizzy spell as penetrating tones ring higher in pitch. The 5am Bass Mix switches out the dubby bass with robotic arpeggiations and Georgio Moroder-esque melodic construction. This one trades out the dissolved orientation with technical precision. Joshua Collins’ Alpha Mix lightens the mood and incorporates a more classic house construction. This version mixes heavy techno percussion with carefully crafted melodic elements that dance around each other. Collins’ accompanying Omega Mix keeps the same hard techno elements but closes the filters and gives time for the pads and melodic accents to develop. Energy is dialed up when a filtered bass element takes command of the song. The breakdown delivers a euphoric reprise as the pads evolve into even richer soundscapes. Not to be ignored is Tobor Rellik’s take, breathing complex bass line shifts and periodic percussion effects into the original. Tobor’s complex assembly of technical sound bites and permeable synthesizer development transverses the discerned ear of any house or technophile.

As the landscape of Texas artists continues to deliver norm-shattering artisans, expect to hear more from artists like Aidin, Visions of Glosters, and Tobor Rellik.

Tony H (Late Night Munchies / Viva Recordings) – “The 5am Bass mix for me.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Joshua Collins kills this!”
Ulysses (Neurotic Drum Band) – “Solid EP. The first 3 mixes are all killer.”
Alvaro Hylander (DeepWit Recordings) – “Liking Joshua’s vision on this one. Both remixes are great, smooth and powerful.”
Massimiliano Pagliara (Balihu) – “The Alpha mix is dope!”
DJ Tronic (Dancefloor Mayhem Blog) – “I really like the Tobor Rellik remix. Will play on my radio shows.”
DJ P-Rez (Not So Fast Records) – “This is a very solid release. All cuts hit it out of the park.”
Ken Liu (Headset Hi-Fi) – “Really feeling the original and the Alpha mix.”
Salah Sadeq (The Crate Radio Show) – “Very nice release. Nice vibe. Will play on the show and in my sets.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Tasty stuff again from Harmonious Discord - Wizard of Oz 5am bass mix is a gem!”

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

Juan Hoerni - Vallarta (Cha Cha Project Recordings)

Los Angeles house music aficionado Juan Hoerni returns to his Cha Cha Project Recordings imprint with Vallarta, a deep and groovy three song EP. With a discography of over 30 productions — including contributions for the likes of Vega Records, Large Music, WAX — Juan has made a name for himself with a unique style that mixes the deep, Latin, and moodier sounds of house.

Juan draws on his Latin heritage for the flavors on this exceptional EP. The set is led by the uplifting “Vallarta,” featuring bright piano runs, a spicy bass line, a terrific saxophone solo, and the sounds of lively celebration. “Mentor” follows, lowering the tempo without compromising the feeling. Snappy percussion, emotional horns, and a Spanish vocal hook accompany a funky downtempo groove. The EP closes with the disco-flavored “Jungle Juice,” retaining Latin elements and fusing them with a classic ‘70s NY dance-floor vibe. Swirling organ and an exhilarating flute add to this cut’s floor-pleasing potential. Juan strikes again, and in a big way.

Soulfuledge (Soulfuledge Recordings) – “I like this whole release, but Vallarta is my fave on here. I’ll be playing this!”
Spettro (Get Physical) – “Mentira is great!”
Jaymz Nylon (Nylon Recordings) – “The real deal. Funky and festive. I dig all of these tracks.”
Tyree Cooper (Chicago Vinyl Records) – “I’m freekin lovin’ it!”
Deli G (The Touch) – “My man Juan is always on point. Dope three tracker.”
Jonny Layton (The Saturday Soulmine show) – “Outstanding collection of tracks. Essential!”
Floored Capri (Kane FM) – “Really nice diversity across these 3 tracks. I’m particularly loving Mentira.”
Graeme Park (The Graeme Park Radio Show) – “Vallarta is highly appealing. A great EP.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit of House Web Zine) – “A masterfully crafted EP.”
Shantisan (Salted Soul) – “A great release! Lovely tracks that work for any occasion – from radio to club. Full support from Vienna!”

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

Ursula 1000 - Bass Rock (Remixed) [Insect Queen Music]

“Bass Rock” gets remixed! Celebrating the platinum anniversary release of the new album Esoterique, Ursula 1000 enlists a few legends of the breaks world to tackle this album highlight. The results and rough and ready, delivering the goods to global dance floors. From Fort Knox Five’s delicious filtered funk to Jem Stone (of Finger Lickin’s Soul Of Man) and his Bootsy-bass style explosion and all the way to Rory Hoy’s big beat acid soul revue … this pack comes primed like dynamite. And Ursula 1000’s old-school-meets-new-school original version of “Bass Rock” is also on board, reminding why he’s been a twenty year staple of party-time underground dance music.

In 1999, Alex Gimeno – aka Ursula 1000 – set dance floors whirling with his debut platter The Now Sound of Ursula 1000. Has it really been 20 years? Oh, yes. And just look at the highlights: seven studio full-lengths, a pair of DJ mix albums, remixes for celebrated peers from Quincy Jones to Felix Da Housecat. Having performed in more than 30 countries, Ursula 1000 is fluent in the international language of dance. Two decades of sunny days and starry nights rolling by in waves of kaleidoscopic, cosmopolitan pop.

Minus 8 (Compost) – “Cool. The original is the best in my opinion.”
Shantisan (Salted Soul) – “A great bunch of remixes! Fort Knox delivers the winner for me – pure dancefloor power!”
Scheibosan (Kraak Records) – “Super nice trax!”
Anthony Mansfield (Roam Recordings) - “Fun stuff here kittens.”
PulpFusion (Timewarp) – “Super & proper cool ep. That Jem Stone remix kickes it. Awesome!”
DoubleD (Funky Fresh Radio Show) – “Yeah! Some great Bass Funk rockin’ fresh.”
DJ Rehab (DJ) – “Absolutely smashing funk. Fantastic track and remixes from all involved.”
Shantisan (Salted Soul) – “A great bunch of remixes! Fort Knox delivers the winner for me – pure dancefloor power!”
BMD (XLNT) – “XLNT release! The original tune, as well as the three remixes are great! It’s difficult to pick one favorite. If I had to though, it'd probably be Jem Stone remix - maybe because I miss the Nu Skool Breaks era of good old Finger Lickin' releases.”
tOtALcULt (Ramp FM) – “What a great package! Seriously. These are all bangers. For me, the Jem Stone version takes me straight back to the heady days of Finger Lickin', but Rory Hoy's version is a VERY close second! Loving this. Totally my jam.”

Available Now From: Beatport, Juno Download, Spotify, And Apple Music.