Ashley CasselleThe first track on this outstanding EP of robust and clubby wares, ‘Comfort Me‘, is an original and well thought out modern House chugger that’s jacked down & smoothly dense in its dreamlike fug, with deep layers of delayed pianos & vocal snippets creating a beautifully melancholic and magical atmosphere. Classy keys chug away whilst the track ebbs and flows into male vocal hooks, repeating its emotional refrain. We can imagine some seriously special dancefloor moments to this. Clocking in at 118 bpm but somehow managing to seem significantly faster, this lead track is so good that the others on the EP have a lot to live up to.
However this vinyl release finds ‘War & Peace (2015 Retouch)‘ following on in fine form with brass and funky guitar licks sparring with a 70’s style groove to great effect in that hypnotic, building, dubbed out way that Moodymanc (aka Danny Dubble) does so well. Luke Solomon takes his own remix into a more driving terrain, bringing the slap funk bass guitars to the fore amongst trippy synths and swirls, reminding us somewhat of DJ Garth’s ‘20 Minutes of Disco Glory ‘, which is better news than a lottery win to some of us around here.
With elements and a production style that hint back to late 90’s West Coast labels such as Greyhound and Red Melon Records, it’s refreshing perhaps to note that the two gentlemen of the UK scene featured on this EP can pick up so concisely on an American sound and hand the baton back to the USA again. This is precisely why Moodymanc and Luke Solomon have been plying their trade for the best part of two decades, whilst slipping in their knowledge of Disco and Funk, feeding their unique versions of House Music to discerning crowds globally.
As if this record couldn’t get any better, the fourth track introduces a guest spoken vocal from none other than Snoop Dogg and G-Unit on the addictive ‘Hashtag’, ironically talking about the state of Hip Hop, yet crucially resonating with today’s aware and clued up House-heads. An essential release, grab a limited edition copy of this vinyl while you can, with a digital release slated for October 5th.
Artist: Moodymanc, Luke Solomon
Title: 2015-10-05
Label: Well Cut Records