Reviews

★★★★☆

We have reached the point where music can’t be just music, where everything needs a “deep” or “hard” or “minimal” modifier in front of the genre, where hashtag marketing seems to sell people almost as much as the song itself.

Believe it or not there was a time when music didn’t need to be stuffed into a pigeon-hole to enjoy. House music was just house music. And good music was just good music.

The Wilful Session EP delivers four unapologetic house cuts, each with its own personality and place in the set.

Khillaudio’s “The Newest Way to Enjoy Music” brings a deep vibe stacked in deceptively simple yet dynamic layers and ties everything together with an interesting sample. UC Beatz’s “Lucky Wind” is my pick of the batch, with a smattering of different genre elements that give it a fresh sound and unique style. The subtle bassline carries a sprinkling of horns, the broken-beat breakdown shakes things up, and the twisted French house attitude all come together to make this one something to get the trainspotters excited. Pat Lezizmo’s “Let It Ride” follows up with punchy kicks, a leading bassline, killer synths, a hooky piano, and some creative sampling. And JR From Dallas‘ “Guirlande De Fricadelles” has all the elements of a classic as well: beefy bass, a boppin’ vibe, and a subtle sample to spice it up.

House music is back and in prime form. Sure we can call it deep house, but it’s more than that. There aren’t any epic drops; instead the tracks build deliberately and roll up and down. So let’s just call it house music. That’s really all that needs to be said.

After all, the newest way to enjoy music isn’t new at all, right?

★★★★☆

The latest from Shmix & Munt Berry hits our eager ears with back-to-back tech-house bombs. “We’ve Got it All” (Orig) isn’t terribly complex but the layers build and weave together to make something worth dancing to. It’s got a nice dark undercurrent and a sinister tech-house vibe that fits the vocals perfectly. “Do Not Argue with Him” (Orig) has a huge pulsing bassline and a heavy bottom that carries the track. The layers progressively build before the big break and the samples really add to the energy. Worth checking out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au6hkMc9GLc

★★★★★

Sincopat is back with a solid new project that offers up a complimentary foursome of tech-house tracks with flavors ranging from emotional and melodic to dark and chuggin’ on the label’s Vomvo 02 (part 3) EP.

Darlyn Vlys & Hear ThuG’s “Atoms of Love” contemporizes that ’90s progressive house vibe — complete with layered breakdown — on this winning lead-off track. AFFKT & Mike Ravelli’s “Don’t Hold Back” continues the retro interpretation with a more tech-driven attack, fat kicks and pulsing layers that will crush a sweaty peak time dance floor in the basement of any industrial warehouse. “Confession” by ARTBAT & Thomas Gandey is a dark and heavy job that builds around simple yet surprisingly effective vocals. The package closes with Habischman’s “Groove Division.” It’s a slow build that one might even say is relatively uneventful, but its hypnotic makes the track work.

Great tracks overall, and Sincopat’s best release in a long time.

★★★★☆

Stacey Pullen is perhaps one of the most underrated DJs in America. He’s from the old school — a Detroit pioneer and one of the few remaining names that can claim to have been around almost as long as the founding fathers of techno themselves. But his Balance 028 mix is something different. It’s not exactly the eargasm I got from Guy J, or the masterfully arranged opus Hernan Cattaneo delivered, or even the romping fun of Danny Howells or the chuggin’ tech-monster that Danny Tenaglia let loose on the world. And that’s why I love it. Stacey Pullen does his own thing; he’s true to himself and that’s why he’s a natural fit to carry the torch for the Balance legacy.

Disc 1 sets the mood with rEJEKTS’s “Strung Out In Reno” (Marc Ashken Remix) and slowly builds into Leman & Dieckmann’s “Stomp” and Folic State’s “Another (NoGo) Zone” (Gurwan Remix) before leading us down the path of earbud contentment with a few techy twists and tribal teases. There’s enough variety here to keep my ears interested, but it’s a pretty linear journey. The mix winds down with Sobek’s lush “Ubomi” and closes with Toby Dreher feat. Dirty Paul’s melodic and sexy “A Try” (Autotune Remix) and Huxley’s “I Want You” (Deetron Remix).

The second disc is a bit more dynamic, opening with Anderson Noise’s “UFO.” Pullen opens up his signature house/techno hybrid style and it really compliments the more straight-laced attitude of the first disc. We get to taste of a pair of Pullen exclusives (“Save Ourselves” and “I’m Coming,” which are both top cuts) before being dosed by Peter Gibney’s “Fine Lines” and seduced by Hoito’s trippy “Modern Kush.”

I almost want to say he’s got a no-frills approach to music, but that wouldn’t be accurate or fair. His sound is stripped down compared to a lot of the “EDM superstars” topping the lists nowadays, the ones that seem to put effects above the actual music. But Pullen certainly has a groove that all the cool bells and whistles and studio polish can’t capture.

That said, I’m not quite ready to put this on the shelf with my other favorite Balance compilations, but I certainly won’t hesitate to say this will fill that cold and relatively desolate span of winter months until the next club season kicks off in the spring. And that’s not to say it won’t eventually end up on my short list of great mixes. I’ve spun each disc back-to-back for several weeks and it’s really been growing on me. Like most of the other Balance albums, I hear something new every time I listen to it.