House – Page 2 – 7th Level Music

Rewind Review: Faithless – Sunday 8pm (2001 special edition)

To say that Faithless‘ 1996 album, Sunday 8pm, was a monumental release at the time is a bit of an understatement. Everyone was clamoring for albums like this, for bands like Massive Attack and Portishead and, really, anything from the UK that sounded like those bands, and then Faithless comes along and proves that they weren’t a cookie cutter band in the molds of those other great bands, but one that had their own unique style that mixed ambient music, shoegaze, trip hop, dub, and, yes, spiritual music.

Consider Maxi Jazz‘s line of “Even sitting in the garden one can still get stung.” on “The Garden.” It’s a Zen reminder at the start of an album that will explore love, loss, loneliness, yearning, reunions, and separations. On “Bring My Family Back,” Jazz reminisces about working hard to get ahead and realizing, once he’s “made it” that he hasn’t really arrived at anything worthwhile. Again, more Zen.

Please check your pulse if the drums on “Hour of Need” don’t get you moving. It’s a delightful song about letting your lover know you’ll be there for them when they’re at their lowest. “Postcards” is an instant classic, with Jazz’s lyrics taken from postcards he sent home during the band’s U.S. tour. “Take the Long Way Home” isn’t a cover of the Supertramp classic (although that would be wild to hear), but rather a synth-laden dance floor classic with snappy hi-hat beats and sexy, thudding bass.

On “Why Go?”, the band sing about a lover who unexpectedly shows up and how it can be awkward to talk them into staying. Unlike, “She’s My Baby,” a wild song that has Jazz talking about his wild sex life with his gal. The only thing more sultry than the lyrics is the wicked beat throughout it. “God Is a DJ” was, and still is, another classic, with Faithless (rightfully) comparing raves and dance clubs to places of worship, fellowship, and healing. To further that symbolism, the next track is “Hem of His Garment” – which speaks of love as something to be worshipped and cherished. “Killer’s Lullaby” is another thumper, and the special edition of the album has a sharp remix by Nightmares on Wax to boot – as well as a Paul Van Dyk remix of “Bring My Family Back.”

Sunday 8pm is a classic of the mid-1990s house / rave scene that still sounds fresh today.

Keep your mind open.

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Tywi gets us out of reality on his new EP – “Reality Checkpoint”

Duality Trax first opened its books in 2020 with an EP featuring Radiant Love regular Fio Fa and a remix of the year contender coming from Lisbon’s Violet. Since then the label has become known for its acute attention to detail, giving each release the shine it deserves while avoiding disposable practices and challenging the industry through its dedication to duality and balance, whether that be sonically or surrounding gender identity.

It’s really no surprise that one of house music’s leading label figures Tywi was destined to make an appearance. Having started the Haŵs imprint in his home city of Cardiff, the label’s wide-spread popularity began to gain the attention from some of the industry’s most respected heads and became a breeding ground for new artists to emerge. A shared love of music resulted in tracks being shared over time and eventually DUALITY6 was born. In what will be his first full length EP, Tywi continues to join the dots between 90’s house, prog, breaks and trance, with a huge remix coming from Frankfurt-based artist Maruwa, released Friday 8th September.

Title track ‘Reality Checkpoint’ connects various styles with a modern take on progressive trance. Sonics feel as if they’ve been projected from space in a kaleidoscopic mind-warping ride, coupled with the producer’s impressive ear for world building soundscapes. A child of the ‘90s, Maruwa combines her classically trained ear with the nostalgia of her upbringing in the remix; channeling early trance records and deep, chugging rhythms into a wave of euphoria fit for peak-time. It’s the first time the label has also delved head first into full trance territory, turning the intensity levels up while paying homage to both label owner and artist’s early musical influences.

The B side opens up with ‘Spellbound’ which feels like a guided tour around the cosmos, sat beside trusted travellers and embraced by everything-will-be-alright energy . The track’s interior is built around synths that feel both effortless and light as our tour guide brings us towards our final destination. The EP comes to a close with ‘Laws Of Motion’, building slowly with shades of leafy greens and deep oceanic blues as it gently brings us back down to earth.

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[Thanks to Harbour Music Society.]

Big Miz shares the title track from his upcoming EP – “Where I Belong.”

From early residencies at weekly student nights in Glasgow to playing a pivotal role behind the scenes at La Cheetah Club, Big Miz has been immersed within the city’s walls since he was a teenager. Weekends spent crafting his sound behind the booth and creating lifelong friendships at the city’s famous after-hours scene have helped create an ecosystem for success. In Glasgow, even larger labels are always keen to support local talent and during one of his frequent visits to Rub A Dub Records, Big Miz was introduced to Dixon Avenue Basement Jams which eventually led to the release of his first EP.

Miz has carried this Glasgow courtesy throughout his whole career, which eventually led to connecting with HOMAGE label head Ryan Clover where they exchanged feedback and spins before locking down a release on the label’s heavy schedule. The New York based label’s ethos shares parallels to Glasgow’s – collaborative, fluid, and always ready to party.

Title track ‘Where I Belong‘ wastes no time on introductions, combining a range of hardware and software into a kaleidoscopic recording created for peak time. ‘Everything’s Fine’ demonstrates Miz’s knack for groove and melody, where classic acid sounds meet demanding stabs and an irresistible groove. Inspired by early house records, ‘The Feeling’ makes its presence felt with chunky kickdrums and uplifting vocal samples; Big Miz’s attention to detail and years of dancefloor education shines through, first establishing a hypnotic introduction and powerful transitions that have us hooked from the first bar.

The EP is beautifully rounded off by LUXE’s remix of the title track ‘Where I Belong’, following on from her standout EP on the beloved label Planet Euphorique. LUXE swaps rolling kick drums in favor of breakbeats and an ethereal backdrop. The space between musical elements is key, allowing us to breathe as our perspective shifts high above the city’s clouds.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Harbour Music Society.]

Skeleten says “Right Here It’s Only Love” on his new single from his debut album.

On his thrilling and immersive debut album, Skeleten (producer / vocalist Russ Fitzgibbon) dares to imagine new ways of being that are not characterised by doom or despair – a challenge in an era defined more by feelings of futility, isolation and precarity. Across eleven tracks of free-flowing, transcendent, and often euphoric electronic music, he plays spiritual guide to a musical journey which is wonderfully in touch with realms beyond our own. Praising the power of comradery and community, dreaming of a future that is joyously boundless, Skeleten’s singular debut LP is, to borrow from one of his own lines, music for dancing “any way your body turns.”

After years of cutting his teeth in Sydney’s tight-knit electronic community, Fitzgibbon forged his own identity and debuted under his solo moniker, Skeleten in 2020. It’s his most personal project to date, the sound of him unfiltered for the first time as both a vocalist and producer. At once intimate and otherworldly, at the core of the project lies a strong sense of uncomplicated openness and a deeply rhythmic, meditative ambience. Strikingly unplaceable, the result is a curious yet alluring amalgam of far-flung influences and emotive atmospheres that invites you to get repeatedly lost in.

In between his debut and the long-awaited release of Under Utopia, Skeleten’s consistent output has seen him accrue rotation and early praise from Triple J, Double J, XLR8R, Stereogum, NME, The Guardian, BBC Radio 6 Music’s Recommends Spotlight Artist, Brooklyn Vegan and receive the official remix treatment from the likes of Logic1000, Moktar and Jennifer Loveless.

Under Utopia sees its release today via 2MR (North America) and Astral People Recordings (ROW) on vinyl and across all digital platforms.

Listen / Purchase / Playlist Under Utopia Here

Watch Under Utopia Official Videos:
“Right Here It’s Only Love”
“Sharing The Fire”
“Territory Day”

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side.]

Review: Ross Harper – The Dark Album Remixes Volume 4

The liner notes to Ross Harper‘s The Dark Album Remixes Volume 4 EP describes one of the tracks as “a DJ’s dream come true.” Really, the whole record is that.

Starting with Coast2c‘s (also properly known as Sofia Acosta) remix of “Something New,” the EP opens with thumping bass drum and sizzling electro-cymbals designed to yank people onto the dance floor…and then that thick synth-bass hits and there’s no need to yank people onto the dance floor, they are running to it. Developer‘s remix of “Hard Patience” (the “DJ’s dream”) is pulsating, throbbing, sweaty trance that gives you an instant rush.

Amorphic‘s remix of “Narcissist” is almost a hypnotizing mantra of bass hits, fast cymbals, and pulsating synths. Finally, DJ Emerson‘s remix of “Deep Life” – a fun track that mixes hand percussion with sliced up vocals sounds, goth-industrial bass, and racing video game synths.

All four tracks on this are scalding hot. Don’t miss this if you’re a DJ or just enjoy EDM.

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George T sends us a “Love Letter” with his new single.

Edinburgh-based producer George T announces the release of his latest single, “Love Letter,” which is set to drop on Paradise Palms Records. The track, a beautiful mind buffet of left-field and dubby influences, marching hypnotic lead synth, pads, syncopation, and an enchanting, haunting vocal. “Love Letter” marks a new chapter in George T’s rich and ever blossoming career, showcasing his talent for crafting genre-bending tracks that blur the lines between electronic and experimental music. With its intricate production, mesmerizing melodies, and captivating rhythms, the single transports the listener to a warped pleasure planet. In addition to the original version of the track, George T also offers up a hypnotic dub version “Dub Letter.” Doused in acid and featuring an instrumental-only arrangement that emphasizes the song’s rhythmic and atmospheric qualities.

The single and accompanying dub is releasing digitally with Paradise Palms Records and being distributed globally through EPM on the 14th of July.

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[Thanks to Aaron at Paradise Palms Records.]

Skeleten celebrates “Territory Day” with his new single.

Sydney producer / vocalist Skeleten has unveiled “Territory Day”, the latest preview of his long-awaited debut full-length album, Under Utopia, coming July 28 via 2MR (NA) / Astral People Recordings (ROW).

A sprawling, vibe-heavy track that unfurls with truncated beats, gently insistent congas, hypnotic pleading and twinkling, Four Tet-esque chimes, Russell Fitzgibbon shares the origins of “Territory Day”: “I made the main idea one night back before I was even thinking of Skeleten as a real project. It was Territory Day, a holiday in the Northern Territory where everyone lets off fireworks for one night, and I was distinctly thousands of kms away from there. I always wanted to revisit the idea and after a few years and a pandemic I came back to it and felt it all new. Felt that expression of simple longing travelling through time and space, and thought about the power of all the desire and struggles crossing the globe like radio waves. I wanted to shout out to everyone trying at anything.”

Pieced together using fan-shot footage from a recent studio party, edited and processed through the album’s distinctive cover art, the visuals for ‘Territory Day’ tap into the ideals of connectivity and community at heart of Under Utopia – a homage to Skeleten’s ethos of finding transcendence in the everyday.

WATCH / SHARE “TERRITORY DAY” HERE
LISTEN / PLAYLIST HERE

On his thrilling and immersive debut album, Skeleten dares to imagine new ways of being that are not characterised by doom or despair – a challenge in an era defined more by feelings of futility, isolation and precarity. Across eleven tracks of free-flowing, transcendent, and often euphoric electronic music, he plays spiritual guide to a musical journey which is wonderfully in touch with realms beyond our own. Praising the power of comradery and community, dreaming of a future that is joyously boundless, Skeleten’s singular debut LP is, to borrow from one of his own lines, music for dancing “any way your body turns.”

Threading together previous singles “Walking On Your Name”, “Mirrored”, “No Drones In The Afterlife” and the recently released “Sharing The Fire”, Under Utopia is a record that prioritises immediate pleasures without forgoing intimacy, reaching outward with inviting choruses and mantra-like melodies. “I think the album came out of the experience of feeling this great desire to reconnect and dreaming of the power of community,” says the musician. Tied together by Fitzgibbon’s spacious, airy production, the record finds an antidote for the ever-pervasive gloom of contemporary life in the transformative power of love, community and an enduring, determined optimism that gestures toward a better and brighter future just over the horizon.

PRE-ORDER / PRE-SAVE UNDER UTOPIA HERE

Russell Fitzgibbon cut his teeth in Sydney’s tight-knit electronic community just as the city itself was forging its own identity. Debuting under his solo moniker in late 2020, Skeleten is Fitzgibbon’s most personal project to date, the sound of him unfiltered for the first time as both a vocalist and producer. At once intimate and otherworldly, at the core of the project lies a strong sense of uncomplicated openness and a deeply rhythmic, meditative ambience. Strikingly unplaceable, the result is a curious yet alluring amalgam of far-flung influences and emotive atmospheres that invites you to get repeatedly lost in. In between his debut and the long-awaited release of Under Utopia, Skeleten’s consistent output has seen him accrue rotation and early praise from Double J, XLR8R, NME, Dummy Magazine, BBC Radio 6 Music’s Recommends Spotlight Artist and receive the official remix treatment from the likes of Logic1000, Moktar, Jennifer Loveless and Rings Around Saturn.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Bailey at Another Side.]

Review: Noëtik – Parhelion EP

Apparently, German DJ / producer Noëtik has a busy schedule, because he doesn’t waste a damn second on his Parhelion EP.

I mean, he claims to have “Bad Intentions” on the opening track, but the intentions are to get you to dance and move wherever you are and with whatever you’re doing. Maybe his bad intention is mischievous glee in knowing that you’re going to be bopping around your kitchen, racing through the grocery store, or getting through your spinning workout in half the normal time. The bubbling bass and slight dub effects, along with the relentless beats, might cause a rave to break out at any second.

The bass on “Sparsity” is slightly subdued, with a bit of a fuzzy edge, but it is no less addictive. Beats seem to reverse back on each other and return like a boomerang whacking you upside the head. The industrial touches (metallic percussion) on “Ariko” are outstanding. It wanders into dark house territory and walks around the monster mash rave like it owns the place.

“Trivium” pumps the brakes on the tempo and turns that monster rave into a vampire after-party. The track drifts in and out of shadowy places and has a sexy danger to it. The EP ends with a remix of “Bad Intentions” by Modēm that is somehow faster than the original.

In short, this is one of the best EDM records I’ve heard so far this year. Any DJ could just play this whole thing and use the time to hydrate and eat a protein bar during a set.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: DJ Dextro – Spectrum Protocol EP

Described as “four club-ready anthems” by his label, DJ Dextro‘s new EP, Spectrum Protocol, is pretty much that.

“Valquirius” wastes no time in dropping fast beats and heart-racing bass thumps. The title track starts off with repetitive electro beats and, for a moment, you think, “Is this going anywhere?” It definitely is. More beats start to pile atop the others and then looping synths jump on the heap and the mass grows and grows like some kind of undulating jellyfish that gets bigger as it gets closer to you. Then it becomes some kind of techno-industrial hybrid that pretty much sets off strobe lights in your brain.

“Inercia” is the sound of a robot having a panic attack at a disco. “Lenga Lenga” gets you pumped up to dance, run, fight, or finally clean out that overflowing closet you’ve been meaning to tackle for months. It’s easily the brightest of the four tracks and ends the EP with an uplifting feel, as if you’re rising to the surface of the ocean on a sunny day in Ibiza.

It’s short, but it packs a lot of beats into just four tracks. You’ll want this on your workout playlist.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Rich Aucoin – Synthetic – A Synth Odyssey: Season 2

Rich Aucoin has one of those hobbies that I might have if I won some massive Powerball jackpot. He collects and plays vintage synthesizers and puts the results onto albums like Synthetic – A Synth Odyssey: Season 2.

You know you’re in for something special as soon as the first notes of “Wav” start playing from a 1939 Hammond Novachord (considered the first analog synthesizer) and the stacking, beautiful beats begin to lift your heart. It sounds like Fatboy Slim could’ve recorded this yesterday, but he didn’t and he’s probably wishing he could raid Aucoin’s storage facility as a result. “Shift” definitely shifts the feel of the record, sounding like the music you’d hear as you race alongside a magnetic track bullet train on your personal hover-bike in the year 3023.

Aucoin’s label describes “Pure” as sounding like 1990s French house music, and I’m not sure I can describe it any better than that. It’s a delightfully fun track. “Space” does indeed send you out of orbit and toward a distant nebula full of stars and growing planets. “Tech Noir” gets a bit symphonic, and, by the way, uses the same EMS VCS3 Prototype (on the cover, fourth column, four down from the top) used on Dark Side of the Moon.

“Roger Luther” is named after (and played on) the Moog synthesizer (on the cover, third column, second one down from the top) that’s named after a Moog employee who eventually became the company’s general manager. It peppy and a bit dangerous, reminding me of some darker Devo tracks.

“Lyra” has kind of a hip-hop sound to its beats and synth bass (and vocal loop). “Prophet” is at first what Pimpbot-3000 plays on his Sony Walkman as he struts down the street, and then it blooms into a video game hero’s anthem. The closing track, “Liminal,” is a subtle one that helps you slowly float back down to Earth and leaves you feeling a bit giddy and warm afterwards…like good sex.

It’s a neat project and a neat record, and Aucoin makes all these vintage synths sound like they’re brand new.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Jessica at Ramp Global PR.]