KAITLYN AURELIA SMITH - EXISTENCE IN THE UNFURLING [WESTERN VINYL]

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith pulls us into the world of modular synthesis with the beautiful Existence In The Unfurling. As soon as the track begins your immediately drawn into the space Kaitlyn creates with layers of modular synths and etherial vocals. At a run time of 11 minutes and 9 seconds, ‘Existence In The Unfurling’ moves with incredible patience, it doesn’t give too much away but still retains a sense of slight suspense. Half way through the track your finally given the sense of release you may not have realised you actually needed. An array of synths and woodwind sounds fill the speakers to proved a cathartic crescendo.

Existence In The Unfurling is a cut off Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith’ EARS released on the 1st of April.

Buy: Vinyl / Digital

Batu & lurKA - 001 [fringehwite]

Batu and Lurka, two masters of percussive dread, join forces after a recent string of killer solo releases spanning labels such as Livity Sound, Timedance and Hotline.

The two Bristol boys come good on a new collaborative label, combining a rude electro-influenced A-side with two stuttering UK funky riddims (complete with discordant bells!) on the B-side.

Buy: Vinyl

Bobby draino & d.tiffany - arctic travel [normals welcome]

The first release after Dan White and Khotin’s Split EP at the end of last summer, another of Canada’s fine new-wave house labels, Normals Welcome has released more stella lo-fi house with Bobby Draino & D. Tiffany’s Arctic Travel EP. The whole EP is beautifully soothing, with a candid laidback aesthetic, slouched in hazy tones. This is a real after-party burner. The two artists collab on the title track, the most club-orientated of the lot. Over its 10 minutes, it retains a simple elegance with looped drums, a submersive bassline and rust high hats. Echoey chords add to the ethereal ambience. A head-nodder with off kiltered sex appeal. On the B-side, the artists have their solo tracks. Draino’s, Another Vibe (Lolo’s House Mix) is a distorted acid cut. Bouncey bassline, paddy-kick drums, soothing cords keep to the EP’s haziness. The euphoric keys drench the track in twisting tranquillity. D.Tiffany’s, Green-T is the mellowest track: yet another foggy lo-fi number. Downcast snares and melodic chords over grainy pads, mixed with coarse vocals keep to the afterhours theme. Raw lo-fi house is an aesthetic that seems to be on the rise – tricky to master, but when it’s done right it becomes the perfect antidote to heavier side of dance music.

Buy: Vinyl / Digital

ItaloJohnson - ITJ10 [ITALOJOHNSON]

Italo Johnson hit us hard with their new release ITJ10 after THEIR absence over THE PAST year they're back with this heavy hitting face melter. It’s got everything I’d love to hear in the early hours of the morning, an energy and presence backed up by some of the most classic club music sounds ever created. The combo of the jungle influenced bassline with the huge kick and crazy snares popping off constantly really got my head bopping. The infectious chords that come into all this really had me feeling like ITJ10 should have come from the 90’s with it’s simple yet so iconic sound powering the track on. I do admit towards the end things get a little out of hand and some very arpeggiated chords do bring you back to 2016 after a bombardment of experimental chord play. Italo Johnson have been around for a while now and its great that the trio still haven't been unmasked allowing songs like ITJ10 to really uphold that mysterious presence we like to see in lot of our club music.

Buy: Vinyl

long body - on a big trip [good company]

On A Big Trip will definitely appeal to the slow lane listener of the house world. This being “Long Body’s” first release, it is a beautifully produced piano led track with subtle changes coming in throughout, and even some animal noises thrown in it at the end to awake you from the trance like daze this track puts you into.

These good vibes all come from the Australian label “Good Company”. The rest of the EP is quite varied but definitely worth having a listen although on a personal note this track is certainly the one on repeat for myself.

Buy: Vinyl