One Last New Records Post for 2019 (NOT MY YEAR END WRAP UP!)

There may be a few more things I pick up but any noteworthy joints will just have to appear in my year end post which will be coming in just a few weeks. For now, check these out….

Theo Parrish with Maurissa Rose – “This Is For You” – Sound Signature

When I wrote about the last Sound Signature, I alluded to this one (which was then still unannounced) as possible track of the year material, and nothing has changed. After appearing in a number of online mixes, it finally dropped a couple weeks back and for me it is still incredible. I’ve had this since DEMF weekend, and if anything it has grown even more dear to me over that time. Using only a handful of elements, this is an example of restraint winning out over needless complexity. The vocal performance is very heartfelt, and the chords have such a distinctive pattern that all you need is that tight little drum pattern that ebbs and flows with tension and you have an instant classic, memorable from the first listen. The release label art says it is from a forthcoming Theo LP entitled Wuddaji which I am very much looking forward to.

Taelue – Reflections – Perpetual Rhythms

Nick Taelue Marshall is one of the best artists out there right now working in what I would classify as sophisticated deep house. In fact this is what Perpetual Rhythms, his label with Chicagodeep, specializes in. They pick up where labels like Guidance and Track Mode left off, giving you that electronic soul music with an underground edge. On this single LP album, which I believe is his first totally solo release, Nick gives us a taste of the variety of vibes that he is capable of, from the aggressively acidic “Rage Against Oppression” to the spacey hiphop of “A Bleak Moment”, he flits across tempo and genre, honing in on feeling and atmosphere above all else. I’m very curious to see what he can do when given a full double LP album format to work with!

The Pur Royale Project – EP – Worldship Music

Teflon Dons are back and active as I’ve mentioned here a number of times, but now they’re shining the light on another artist with their Worldship Music label. The Pur Royale Project is the work of Greg Ski, a long-time west coast producer known more for his hiphop but also behind some dope underground house. Here he works with vocalist Greg Bowers on “Christoper”, an emotional garage jam from back in the day which is seeing release for the first time now (along with an instrumental version, but with vocals like this… I’m playing them every time). And the B side comes with “Down Fifth Avenue”, a bleepy instrumental that originally appeared 25 years ago under the Royal Phenomena alias. If you love 90s house and garage, this is going to be right up your alley.

Louie Vega – “Cosmic Witch/A Place Where We Can All Be Free” – Nervous

Louie has been kinda killing it in general over the last six years or so, and this one is exceptional even within those highs. “Cosmic Witch” samples the strings from Tony Silvester’s “Cosmic Lady” quite effectively, turning it into one of those very classic-feeling jams that would turn out and outdoor festival. But despite being the A side, it’s not even the best track on the record. “A Place Where We Can All Be Free” is a deep house instrumental that wouldn’t feel out of place on NDATL. It’s exactly that style of uplifting house music that combines instrumentation and repetition in perfect amounts, the kind of thing you hear DJs like Ron Trent and Kai Alcé play and wonder what the fuck the jam they’re playing could be.

Kyle Hall – FTC01 – Forget The Clock

Kyle Hall’s newest record is also the debut of a new label of his called Forget the Clock. Featuring artwork by Michio James and continuing the synth heavy broken house flavors of his recent releases Eutrophia Sevan and Equanimity, Kyle continues to be one of the leaders of modern American dance music by sounding like nobody else. The total package of music and sound feels very well conceived and executed, this doesn’t seem like just a tossed off single to ensure he has a release out in 2019. “Full Play” is the most obvious club jam, but it is slipped in at the A2 after the short hiphop tempo cut “Rising”. The two B side jams lean dancefloor as well, but are short and less obviously structured for DJ play. In fact, this record is maybe even more satisfying as a full listen all the way through.

Kai Alcè – NDATL Makin Moves – NDATL

I’ve often said that it’s almost unfair to hand Kai a vocal track and get him to remix it. His music is consistently good, but the vocal jams is where he shines the most. And this EP feels like it is tailor-made to back up my theory. I’m definitely guilty of ignoring digital only releases, so this record helps cure that by compiling a handful of digi-only remixes Kai has done over the years onto one slab of wax. Emdee Brown’s “Again” I’ve heard on YT before but didn’t know it had actually been out. The rest are new to me and they are all on a similar level. Kai enlists his squad of instrumentalists including Byron the Aquarius, Delvyn, and Chris Irvin to add to his own soulful production instincts and the results are stellar. There will also be two more NDATL records dropping the same day this one does, one by Ed Nine and one by Kemeticjust and they both sound great as well. This caps off quite the year for Kai and NDATL!

Andrés – IV – Mahogani Music

Andrés – “All U Gotta Do Is Listen”/“ Night Time Is The Right Time” – Hizou

Andrés finally returns to the full-length game, properly following up the now classic II from 2009 (III, though it contains incredible music, is more like an underground EP). Like the previous album projects of his, this sprinkles a number of previously released joints in with a bunch of new jams, crafting a solidly Detroit listening experience where hiphop and house music are obvious siblings. If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’re probably familiar with “New For U” which is included here even on the vinyl press despite seemingly everybody and their cousin (and their cousin’s dog) already having it on 12”. Other familiar killers that are less widely disseminated like his remix of “Free” by Cool Peepl and his own “Mighty Tribe” also make an appearance, which is frustrating for me because I already have them on 12” but nice for those who will just be discovering them. The new tracks are very nice, from the Latin vibes of “Back In The Old Times” to the rugged hiphop of “What’s Ur Name Again”, we are getting exactly what we expect from Andrés, though the off kilter “Run Dat Shit” adds a nice twist to his formula. I will complain though that it is annoying to have space on the vinyl used up for jams I already have, especially when the digital release has a number of tracks that sound good and didn’t make the vinyl cut. Apparently there are limited copies that contain a third disc of additional tracks from the digital album, but these are not as widely available as some shops seemed to say when they first went on sale.

On a more straight-up club friendly tip, his 12” for Hizou marks only his third release on a European label (after the great MJ sampling EP on Spills back in 2011 and the single sided “Ribena” on Sounds of the Universe from 2012) and it is a good one. Both cuts will do dancefloor damage, but I slightly prefer the B side with its synth bass and string loop. This very much feels like what he was doing back in 07, so if you like that era of his production, you should definitely peep this one.

Thom Yorke – Anima – XL

I’ve generally been a bigger fan of Thom Yorke’s solo material than the Radiohead albums since he took the more electronic vibe for himself, but this is unquestionably the most successful one since The Eraser. If you haven’t checked the longform video featuring a few of these tracks, choreography by Damien Jalet (who also did excellent work on the remake of Suspiria), and direction by Paul Thomas Anderson, it is really worthwhile. It’s old school in real life execution but modern as well. And the live show they are touring for this album which includes the visual artist Tarik Barri is equally impressive. It’s rare for me to be in awe of anybody in the pop music arena right now, but everything about this album is so well done and the additional artwork around it matches it perfectly.

Massive Attack V Mad Professor – Part II (Mezzanine Remix Tapes ’98) – Virgin

A very belated follow up to No Protection, an album I discovered just as I was really getting into dub music. Mad Professor has always excelled at dubbing out non-reggae jams, and Massive Attack’s dark electronic sound works very well with his style. This one takes from their Mezzanine era and the results are even more off the rails than you’d expect. This is not really chill music at all. Mad Professor hits the FX hard, creating a nicely weird and experimental note that will not have corporations running to license these for commercials or TV show themes.