Early August New Jams

Soooo things in the world are going swimmingly eh? Or maybe not so much. Whatever. The stupid rule everything now, we are all subject to the worst nonsense they can come up with. Until people with functional brains become willing to do whatever is necessary to wrest control away from the idiots, we will stay rolling increasingly fast down this moronic road our civilization doesn’t seem to care is aimed straight at a cliff.

Thankfully there is still music that I like to listen to. Here is some of it.

Various Artists – Madre Lingua – Mother Tongue LP

We have been singing Mother Tongue’s praises for over a year and a half here at ISM, and here they bring us another absolute killer to celebrate their second anniversary. Musically, they tap into their deep roster of talent that all represent well across a number of funky music styles, from K-15’s beats to Infectious Madness’ broken techno. Drummer Tommaso Cappellato graces three collaborative tracks, including the fusion joint “Apollo 3000” written by Mark De Clive-Lowe and also featuring Patrick Gibin. Mother Tongue has been instrumental in bringing Tiombe Lockhart’s fantastic vocals back to vinyl, and here she covers “Face to Face” with Kaidi Tatham and Cappellato, as well as singing “Blue Bird”, a Cappellato boogie funk original with help from Kaidi and Gibin. All of these tracks are outstanding soulful music, and that’s before we get to the album’s final track, and my personal favorite, EDB and Gary Superfly’s “Pressure”. EDB’s True Stories EP from earlier this year has been a real highlight of 2021 so far, and he keeps that standard up here. The track is carried by it’s crazy energetic synth bass, which forms the perfect foundation for the rest of its synth and keyboard parts. This is just next level modern house music at its best.

The packaging of this album is also noteworthy, a real celebration of the process of crafting high quality vinyl records. The sleeves resemble the way stampers are stored, and the booklet lovingly highlights all the steps of the pressing process. A dedication to Mother Tongue is written by their friend and compatriot Enrico Crivellaro aka Volcov. All in all, this is incredible music captured inside packaging that more than does it justice. I’m looking forward to what the coming years will bring.

Gene Hunt – Feel My Soul – Contrafact 12”

I was recently going through Gene Hunt’s extensive back catalog trying to find any hidden gems I didn’t already own, when I realized exactly what it is about his music that makes it stand out for me. His drums tend to have an energy that really makes the tracks work on a dancefloor, whether the rest of the instrumentation is deep or acid or more jacking. Very few producers are able to harness that kind of energy so effectively, and it makes Gene’s music work wonders when it is played. “Voices” features that kind of HOUSE MUSIC IS SO GREAT spoken vocal that usually is a turn off for me, but it works so well with the rest of the track with its sung vocals and live feeling instrumentation that reminds me a little bit of ERB’s “The Weekend”. “Mine Uncut Beat” starts off as a drum track that uses sounds just atypical enough that it feels distinctive in the mix, before breaking out into some very restrained bass and chords 2/3 of the way through. As a DJ, I love this kind of track, something that has an interesting arrangement and stands out despite not much happening. The highlight of this EP is the B2 cut “Saxon Blue”, which adds sweet melodic techno synth work to a heavy house rhythm, creating one of those timelessly soulful cuts that you wonder where the DJ who played it managed to find it.

Big Strick/Generation Next/ButterBandz – Trinity – 7 Days Entertainment 12”

It’s a full family affair on 7 Days, and the kids are really stepping their game up. Big Daddy Strick still gets the A1 cut though, and on “Balance” he comes with that raw, tough house sound augmented with loopy piano. On “Somebody’s Watching”, Generation Next layers atmospheric pads in behind a very electronic drum set, augmented with liquid sounding resonant synth tweaks and Terminator soundtrack bassline to craft a nicely futuristic house banger. The youngest goes last, but ButterBandz is undoubtedly the highlight here with his track “Ultra Instinct” getting the full B side pressing. Showing that he understands the concept of less is more, ButterBandz has made a neo-Detroit deep techno future classic. Loopy and minimized, the base of the track feels very simple but the elegance of the dubbed out synth parts shows that this is a track far greater than the sum of its parts. It’s really wonderful to watch this family working to see who can crank out the best jams.

Kyle Hall – The Polychronic EP – Forget the Clock 12”

Kyle Hall continues his maturation as an artist with his second EP of 2021, which marks his busiest year as a solo artist in quite a while. Judging by his IG posts, Kyle has been working on his keyboard chops and isn’t afraid to PLAY his synths. His sense of jazzy harmony is really paying off as each cut here has memorable chords with layered melodies that give these tracks the feel of being written through improvisation, but without feeling noodly, at least partially thanks to the more direct drum patterns. He is also paying very close attention to the engineering and pressing of the record, which sounds big and beautiful. This is the perfect kind of midpoint between underground house and soulful house.

Theo Parrish – Smile – Sound Signature 2×12”

I don’t typically buy many reissues, especially not ones that I already have originals of, but I had to make an exception for some of my favorite house tracks ever. This double pack compiles most of the tracks from two singles that Theo did in the late 90s and early 00s for the Music Is label, and each one contains an absolute deep classic. “Smile” was the one from the first single with its minimal and crazy drums, while “Lost Angel” did it on the second single, perhaps a bit straightforward for Theo (especially at that time) but no less devastating. This issue skips “Cloudy Morning” and I believe it substitutes the Parallel Dimensions version of “Dreamer’s Blues” for the “Acid Guitar Version” which is fine by me as the Acid Guitar joint is possibly my least favorite track out of Theo’s entire catalog.

To sum it up: the OGs of these have been expensive for a while and are not easy to come by. If you don’t have them, get this immediately. If you do have them, the artwork is very nice and the pressing here sounds great so it has something for you as well. This is essential house music, all killer no filler.

Andrés – “Praises” – Mahogani Music 12”

While IV back in 2019 was solid as an album, it has felt like recently Andrés hasn’t been releasing as many of those dancefloor smashing 12”s he was originally known for. The Papaya Records 12” I reviewed last time was very strong, and while this record doesn’t quite reach those lofty levels it is one that will find its way into many DJ sets and for good reason. “Praises” mixes church organ and tiny flecks of gospel vocals with tight snappy drums, crafting that kind of easy dance groove that doesn’t need any crazy arrangements to be very effective. On the flip, “New For U (Live)” breathes new life into what is at this point a wildly overplayed 2010s classic. The full band sounds like it would make for an incredible show, adding some vocals and sax that really take it over the top, along with a whole host of other instruments.

Scott Grooves Feat. Chris Codish – “Organ Nights (Blue Ocean Mix)“ – Modified Suede Recordings 12”

Scott Grooves is one of the most consistent producers in dance music, and one of the most interesting as well. Whether he is crafting new tracks or revisiting older ones, his quality control is off the charts. Here we have him revamping a track that originally came out in 1999 on Joe Claussell’s Spiritual Life Music, shifting it into a deep, nearly ambient track that works well for listening as well as a DJ tool. This mix opens with the sounds of a thunderstorm at the shore before synths and the title organ come in to take us on this 15 minute journey. A mournful harmonica marks the emotional peak, while the very restrained organic percussion provides just enough structure to help mix in another track.

Patrice Scott/Ricardo Miranda – “Sometimes I Feel/Body Grooves (MLK Pass)” – Rhythm Nation 12”

Fellow ISM writer Vincent enlists Patrice Scott and Ricardo Miranda for the second vinyl release on his Rhythm Nation imprint, and they deliver some lovely jazzy and soulful house. Patrice’s “Sometimes I Feel” rocks with that fusion of synthesizers and organic rhythms that he has been mining for the last few years, and it still feels fresh and energetic in his hands. Ricardo’s “Body Grooves” utilizes classic deep house instrumentation and adds MLK’s speech for added flavor. Both cuts will work well in the mix for any DJs who appreciate American house music.