trog'low - Midnight Calisthenics (Cold Busted)

Cold Busted has reached into the funky depths to discover trog’low and his fantastic new album Midnight Calisthenics. Based in Toronto, trog’low has appeared on Cold Busted’s IWYMI series as well as his well-received debut album Mellow Feats. He’s gained attention with a deft combination of the old timey and fresh aesthetics, as boom-bap beats and deep jazz intermingle. trog’low’s refusal to follow production fads and trends gives his music a classic, timeless feel — with Midnight Calisthenics, he’s delivered an album that’ll linger.

The opening “Soul Vibes Summit” sets the scene. The time-warped sounds of an audience applauding a jazz combo are joined by phat old school rhythms and delicious vibraphone riffs. “Ballin' '72” keeps up the crucial jazz vibe, adding hardy horns and cool guitar chords. A sublime bossa nova feel is injected into “Hepcats In Heat,” imagining a surf-side retreat with classy jazzbos sipping martinis. And “Ossanha Flip” adds loungey latin elements, its low-slung groove and chopped piano ready to accompany sexy moves. That’s just a taste what Midnight Calisthenics has to offer within its 14 tracks. Give trog’low your ear and prepare to go way back — back into time.

DJ BMF (Eighth Dimension) – “Love it! Perfect blend of Boom Bap beats & Jazz.”
Michael Moebus (Meem) – “Nice Summery grooves.”
Kid Loco (Flor) – “Really well done and coherent from start to finish. Great release.”
Shantisan (Salted Soul) – “These tracks are so cool – I love them!”
Rusty / AGFA (Super Hi-Fi Recordings) – “Nice late night Jazzy grooves. Digging these a lot.”
Mister T. (Cold Busted) – “Amazing set of tracks. True Jazzy sounds here.”
Ket Shah (Mucho Soul) – “Really clever and well produced.”
Snooba (Radio Panik) – “Nice Jazzistic Downtempo experience, as always.”
Salvo Borrelli (Garam Masala Radioshow) – “The great return of Acid Jazz.”
Floored Capri (Kane FM) – “Fine fine Jazzy Hip Hop goodness. The quality of these productions is outstanding.”

Out Now And Available From: Bandcamp, Juno Download, Beatport, And Spotify.

Kovacs The Hun - Mirror World (The Content Label)

The Content Label travels to Budapest to enlist Kovacs the Hun, for an evocative new album titled Mirror World. Born Nándor Kürtössy in the northern Hungarian town Balassagyarmat, Kovacs is known for his Mana Mana Records imprint, his groundbreaking album Five Finger Discount under the name Savages, and his projects Savages y Suefo and Vega Ass. A talented trumpet player, Kovacs dips into a well of varied musical styles for Mirror World. In his sonic palette, hip hop, jazz, and eerie soundtracks mix colorfully with experimental treatments and European musical influences. The Mirror World reflects all of Kovacs' fascinations — sounds and genres coming together on a collective surface.

At times, the Mirror World resembles chamber jazz — or, perhaps, ‘murder jazz’ — with brushed drums, lurking horns, and cunning keys providing the backbone. Flavored drops of percussion, turntable scratches, or rhythm hints glimpse at contemporary roots, but Kovacs presents something that’s outside-of-time. He stretches out on the instrumental tracks, displaying moods that move freely from ominous to reassuring. Guest artists add to this bubbling concoction: jazz musician Andras Wohorn adds instrumentation to the creeping strut of “Manimals” and “Glimpse of Hope,” The Audible One drops urgent verses on “Phoney,” guitarist Marton Suto plays spacious guitar on the worldly “The Countdown,” and MC/poets Guante and See More Perspective inject social commentary into “Long March.”

Kovacs' Mirror World is a distinctive statement, not quite sounding like anything else. The album’s ten tracks, impeccably produced and musically proficient, are an adventure in listening. Embark now on a sonic journey.

Danny Ward (Moodymanc) – “I really like this release. Great vibes all around.”
Jaymz Nylon (Nylon Recordings) – “This LP is a crucial piece of music.”
Kid Loco (Flor) – “Brilliant & Haunting. This is a really good record.”
Mr. Bristow (Subtek) – “Dusty & Crunchy – just the way I like it. Great work!”
Quincy Jointz (Ibiza Global Radio) – “Nice one. I like Phoney and New Dawn Coming.”
Crate Invader (Point Blank FM London) – “This is a work of genius.”
Floored Capri (Kane FM) – “This has an almost spiritual, cosmic jazz kinda vibe. Really feeling it.”
Dr. Best (Radio Z, Germany) – “Wow, this is a really nice album.”
Linos Pascal (Linos On Canvas Radio Show) – “Full support from Greece!”
Jon Fugler (XLNT Radio Show) - “This is good, quite outstanding actually. Almost impossible to date, it’s quite unique, and has been on repeat here.”

Available Now From: Bandcamp, Juno Download, Beatport, And Spotify.

Vuèrs - Odyssey 19 - (Harmonious Discord)

Harmonious Discord is primed for a dense and celebratory 20-year anniversary with monthly releases from label familiars and new faces. There’s none fresher than this debut from Italian producer Vuèrs (Deepfix, Lucky Sun) spotlighting his criminally-intelligent depth and tonal maneuvering. HD is excited to host this abstract collection along with dancefloor translations from Nik Thrine, Ross Mt Park, and hometown hero Merrick Brown.

This journey blasts off with “Lizard,” a swung selection with mellow chords commanded by constantly evolving percussion. Found sound atmospheres flutter in-and-out giving the cut a playful vibe. “Fibonacci” is a powerful tune imploring thoughtful percussion atop tension-filled synthesizer components. It comes to life with sliced samples, a driving bass foundation, and periodic pitch variations. “Odyssey 19” embarks to more musical galaxies with a jazz feeling married to subversive drum programming. It’s a heady tune with powerful manipulations as deep as space communications powering the imagination. For the first of three “Odyssey 19“ remixes, longtime HD contributor Merrick Brown delivers a broken slow burn that teases the jazz influences into a well-choreographed mixture of organics and spacey synthetic leads. Ross Mt Park (Denied) brings a rumbling dancefloor take, focusing on the tense soundscapes and glitching out the cosmic vibe. Park’s reassembly perfectly lives in the corners of sweaty warehouses. Nik Thrine (Staybad, Denied) perfectly tempers the dreamy nature of the original but gives it more power under the covers. Sexy Rhodes patterns and flirty effect fills complete this well-balanced remixture.

Taigo Onez (Bang Le’ Dex) – “This is absolutely wonderful. Loving this body of work. It’s hard to pick a favorite here.”
Nick Warren (Global Underground) – “A very cool release.”
Colin Dale (Abstrakt Dance Records) – “Excellent tracks!”
Gianluca Pandullo (I-Robots) – “I-Robots approved!”
Tony H (Late Night Munchies) – “Fibonacci and the Nik Thrine Remix for me.”
Richard Hardcastle (Solid State) – “I think I need to crank these for max effect. Some dope bass end and nice, subtle touches.”
Lönya (Asymmetric Recordings) – “Some good stuff here.”
Soundkrampf (Cloud of Silence) – “The Merrick Brown Remix is great.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Love Odyssey 19. The strings are beautiful, and cool sampled dialogue too.”
Jon Fugler (XLNT radio show) – “Quite simply a wonderful selection of tracks & mixes. Superb!”

Out Now And Available From: Bandcamp, Beatport, Traxsource, And Spotify.

Monte Hilleman - Winter Blues / Soul Music (Vino Recordings)

Monte Hilleman has waved the flag for soulful house music long before the 2003 launch of his Minneapolis-based label Vino Recordings. The label’s catalog of releases — including some of the earliest releases by Chuck Love — celebrates the deeper, funkier, and vocal-laced side of the house music genre. Monte’s latest is an uplifting double A-side single with meaning and message. “Winter Blues (MLK Day Edit)” features a snapping, groovy drum track, a sub-bass bounce, and vibrant pads guiding the track to the dancefloor. Over the top are the wise words of Martin Luther King, Jr., urging the listener towards hope and light in the face of hate and fear: “… the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The flip side brings “Soul Music,” delving into heavy disco vibes with a cosmic touch. Cool rhythm patterns, a punchy bass, and swirling pads are accented with an infectious, effected vocal phrase.

With this release, Vino pays tribute to the themes of freedom of expression, social justice. and protest inherent in house music since its beginning. 100% of the proceeds from this single will benefit Du Nord Foundation. Du Nord Craft Spirits is a black-owned distillery in Minneapolis that was damaged following the murder of George Floyd. They rebuilt through community support, and now Du Nord Craft Spirits is returning the favor with this foundation, aiding other black and brown-owned businesses needing help.

Tyler Stadius (Deepsite) – “Good tracks here. Soul Music is my pick.”
Jaymz Nylon (Nylon Recordings) “You can’t go wrong with the presence of our ancestors.”
DJ P-REZ (Not So Fast Records) – “Dope release. Tracks like Winter Blues are so important these days, and need to be played.”
Griffo (Freak Da Funk show) – “Soul Music is my fave here. Big and bouncy house music!”
Mike Solus (Housemasters Radio) – “I dig this. Deeeeep!”
Deepshizzol (MyHouse YourHouse Radio) – “Soul Music is very different. Proper rush material.”
DJ Jazzy L (Jazzy Lounge Radio) – “The thunderous beat combined with the message has me hooked.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Such a great feel on Winter Blues. Full support.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel) – “Soul Music is superb. Lovely and infectious stuff. I’ll fit it in to the radio show here.”
Richard Hardcastle (All Out War Radio Show) – “Quality deepness with a message. Great stuff!”

Available Now From: Traxsource, And Beatport.