House

All posts tagged House

Domu

It’s been nearly five years since Domu dramtically retired from the music business and producing in general, but today sees the surprise release of some fresh music from the much loved broken beat pioneer on new fledgling label Sector 12/12.

It’s no surprise to learn that Domu was one of our favourite artists, his rugged and fierce rhythms always guaranteed to mash up a dance, while as a DJ, his technical skill and dexterity behind the decks always resulted in an inspirational set or two (although not a live set, check out one of his last ever promo mixes from 2009). He was one of a number of leading producers who sustained the broken beat movement for over a decade, consistently pushing the sound in ever interesting directions to the point that his expansive discography is peppered with various aliases, assorted BPMs and genre-hopping.

The three track ‘Under The Weather’ EP is released digitally today and in true Domu style offers up three very different tracks to enjoy. ‘Rain All Day (VIP)’ finds his signature sound updated for a new decade, featuring as it does his trademark heavy breaks coupled with a recurring pitched up vocal sample and sweeping, atmospheric pads. ‘Sunshrine (VIP)’ takes things in a slightly housier direction and perhaps is the pick of the bunch, a heads down groove driving things forward while a bouncy bassline keeps things interesting. The final track sees the producer’s Umod alter ego revisited. ‘Rain Or Shine’ is a lush hip-hop inspired instrumental that slowly unravels into a soul fuelled beat with jazzy keys and electric bass. All that’s missing is a Nicole Kramer vocal and this would be vintage Domu circa 2001.

Who knows what lies ahead for the producer moving forward – it’s perhaps a little premature to think that he’ll return to a production schedule that amassed so many classic tunes in such a short space of time. However, this EP is a suitable taster to either introduce (or reintroduce) yourself to the man that we perhaps thought we would never hear from again.

You can stream all three tracks below and should you need them in your life permanently, head on over to the Sector 12/12 Bandcamp and add them to your collection.

Sector 12/12 on Facebook
Sector 12/12 on Twitter

Henry Wu

There’s a certain type of sound we instantly get hooked on here at Soul-Identity and it appears that Henry Wu might just have found it. A little musical Tic-Tac-Toe through assorted sources led us to stumble upon this talented South London beatsmith a while back after he delivered one side of a split twelve for the boutique 22a label, and on venturing to his Soundcloud account this week, we came across another pair of choice recordings that instantly grabbed our attention. Released last week and available now to purchase digitally through the XVI Records Bandcamp, the Natural Complexion EP is a siren call to those of us still yearning for a steady stream of quality soulful underground beats and we’re hoping it’s a statement of intent by the young producer after a promising year of releases.

A talented keyboard player who has appeared on stage with the likes of Floating Points and Fatima of Eglo Records, Wu delivers a strong two-tracker that firmly stakes its claim as one of our EPs of the month for February. The title track alone is sure to cause a few worries in the dance, with its elastic melodies, skippy drums and ethereal vocal from Tenderlonious, proving there is still a thing as proper UK produced deep house. ‘Dutty Double’, the second offering, pairs a distinctively bombastic drum pattern alongside soulful keys and synth for a delicate jazz-infused workout that more than holds its own. Stream both tracks below and if you’d like more Wu in your life, check out this mixtape that he completed for the Stamp The Wax website this week.

HENRY WU on Facebook
HENRY WU on Twitter

Alsarah and the Nubatones

Wonderwheel Recordings drop a delicious EP of deep house with a global flavour as Sudanese singer Alsarah presents her latest album for the label.

It was our recent mixtape by Pystol Pete that turned us onto the name Alsarah, after he sequenced a tasty morsel from her recent collaboration with French beatsmith Débruit into the sea of exotic melodies that flowed eastwards. The track in question (‘Khartoum’), a synth-laden Middle Eastern beat symphony, was one of many fruits born from a full album project (‘Aljawal’) completed by the pair late last year and picked up by Soundway Recordings for general release. Highly acclaimed in many corners, the LP was subsequently selected in NPR’s Favorite World Music Albums for 2013 while The Guardian went as far to call Alsarah the “New Star of Nubian Pop”.

Building on this momentum, the Sudanese born, now Brooklyn based vocalist is, alongside her band The Nubatones, readying the release of her next album ‘Silt’, which drops March 11th on the ever-reliable, outernational label Wonderwheel Recordings. Best described as a melange of vintage Sudanese pop and other traditional East African sounds, the album promises to be an enticing listen if first single ‘Soukura (It’s Late)‘ is anything to go by, and this week you can pick up an EP that includes the original song as well as a number of remixes of forthcoming album tracks via the usual digital channels and vinyl 12 inch.

The remix package is certainly a strong one with some of the LP’soriginals respectively twisted into new formations by renowned producers Boddhi Satva, Nickodemus and Zeb from The Spy From Cairo. For us it’s the more electronic reworks that are the ones for the hard drive (or box), with Satva turning out an excellently deep Afro house workout, the Ancestral Soul head raising the tempo a little and injecting the song with just the right amount of stuttering electronic wizardry to make this super effective for the dancefloor. Label head Nickodemus meanwhile opts for the more relaxed ‘Rennat’ and plunges it into deeper four to the floor territory, amping up the hypnotic nature of the original song by slowly looping snatches of the melody and vocal over a pulsating electronic beat.

You can stream all six tracks below and if you wish visit Bandcamp to grab the full EP or Juno for the selection of tracks on wax. We hope to be playing them for months to come.

Delano Smith

Detroit producer Delano Smith steps up to the plate to provide his own unique take on one of Kerri Chandler’s long lost classics.

The original ‘Sunday Sunlight’ originally appeared on the A side of the Night Moods EP on the Metaphor label out of New York back in 1999. An obscure one for sure and now with a suitably hefty price tag to boot, it seems that the French label Apollonia Music has picked up the original for reissue and commissioned one of our favourite Motor City veterans to turn out a remix too. A 12″ record is set to drop imminently but by the wonders of YouTube, you can check out the track in its entirety below.

If that pleases your ears and you like your rhythms deep, you should also check out Smith’s second full length LP ‘Twilight’ (released earlier this year) and his debut ‘An Odyssey’ on Yossi Amoyal’s SushiTech label.

Atjazz

There’s few that can match Martin Iveson AKA Atjazz when it comes to longevity in the music game.

From his early forays into future jazz and deep house with releases on his Mantis Recordings label back in the late nineties, right through to this year’s high profile collab with Baltimore stalwart Karizma as Exist, his discography is deep and with a constant feed of quality remixes emerging from his lab on the regular, the man’s star has never been brighter. In fact, with the East Midlands’ producer’s apparent love for collaborations, as well as his much in demand DJ appearances at events and festivals around the world, it’s easy to understand why new material from the man himself has been somewhat scarce. Until now.

For his first solo work since his highly acclaimed ‘Full Circle’ album was released some five years ago, Mr Iveson emerges from his studio with a fresh three-tracker set to drop in April on his own Atjazz Music Company label. Discovered during our usual foray into the sea of newness that is our Soundcloud stream, the EP stood out with its eye-catching track titles of ‘Does This Qualify?’, ‘Well Does It?’ and ‘Happy Now?’. A little bit angry for sure, but it seems it’s more a cheeky riposte aimed at those fans who have been demanding some fresh music from the producer for some time, and as these assorted rhythms seep into the headphones, it’s clear that they may finally have something to look forward to.

The trio of tracks are all strong in their prospective fields but our standout is the exquisite jazzy bump of the opener, ‘Does This Qualify?’. A percussive beast with snatches of dialogue peppering a beat that you’d more likely associate with an old Pal Joey record, this has summer anthem written all over it and is destined to be heard on some of the more discerning dancefloors for quite some time.

You can stream all three tracks in their entirety below or should you rather, download via Juno, iTunes or Traxsource for less that £3!