Rotterdam based 25 Places are back on Dirt Crew with a bang! since their Love More release in 2015 the boys have been hard at work and have just released an EP for Chez Damier on his Prescription Records sub label Balance.
The bounce begins with Party In The Hills hosting a huge kick, loopy Rhodes, squelching bass, Ragga flavoured vocal and squeaky lead, it's straight up good times right from the get go. An infectious groove on this one! "Closing Title Song" heads into deep soaring territory, it's forward house beat and pulsing synth lead intertwine with loose tropical percussion and a rhapsodic horn hook.
On the flip we have Laurence Guy who does not really need an introduction anymore, the man has been all over the place since this year's releases on Cin Cin, Outplay and the imminent Church where he dropped two big EP's Bamboo and Kojak. Here he takes on the soulful deep Chicago House of 25 Places and turns it into a 90's breakbeat acid galore of ecstasy tingled UK House.
Places wrap up the rave session with Backyard Stories, a raw and bouncing, bass face inducing jam. Uplifting and dirty in one stroke, its thumping kick and feverous melodies make it impossible not to move.
Nachtbraker is back! It's been a huge year for the Amsterdam deep house juggernaut who returns to Dirt Crew with his all new and colourfully titled Really Ties The Room Together EP. Constantly on the move, he's found time between touring throughout Europe, Asia and South America to continue to push his a-typical house sound forward with this year's HEIST release and his quirky jam Busy Bee that was featured on our Deep Love 100 Compilation.
This three tracker is jam packed with bouncing club tunes and a whole lot of flange. Things kick off with the title track Really Ties The Room Together. It twists and turns over an unconventional but irresistible groove, shimmying shakers, brass stabs and a serpentine riff work together creating a super tight dance floor cut.
Rew begins somewhere in deeper territory, suspense building beneath the clouds, a rumbling bass rolls in from over the horizon before a glorious funk guitar blows the whole thing wide open, letting the sun's rays burst through and that familiar Nachtbraker good time energy shine in.
The rerub of Rew is something altogether new from our deep house protagonist, a break beat and casual groove guide gently towards an ever intensifying acid trip. Don't be fooled by the lovely deep chords, things get nasty in the end. It's best to expect the unexpected from our adventurous resident producer, and this EP is no exception.
Straight after his contribution to the splendid Delusions of Grandeur compilation and collaboration with Sebastien Vorhaus aka "Soul of Hex" as well as his latest EP's on the Russian "Capital Bass" label and "Swedish Brandy" Ponty Mython is back with a full swung EP packed with cosmic deep house tunes.
“How To Get Your Life Together And Succeed" sets the pace for the record, bringing together a kaleidoscope of sounds in Ponty Mython's signature style, soul meets dance floor punch. "Changes We Go Through" oozes hip shaking appeal, a deep and sleazy bass line leads the charge on this bumping house track. "Watch Over Him" slows things down a touch with live funk and jazz licks conjuring images of session musicians jamming in a Smokey club, urging you to get down.
On the top of the B-side, we have man of the moment Red Rack'em who delivers a wonderfully "Wonky" house remix in his very unique style, casually combining elements from three of the originals. Next up we have "Love Is Not A Thing", another body moving sultry deep house offering, dripping with soul, as easy vocals ramble over lazy keys and lively percussion. Finally, easing us to the end of our outing in the sonic stratosphere is "Lopp 17", back in the funk realm, with some tropical percussion thrown in and a steady grooving bottom end to keep heads nodding right to the last moment.
All in all one of the most exciting and Musical records we have ever released .. and with 3 tracks per side this is somehow more a mini Album than EP .
Never one to rest, our pal The Revenge has been busy as always. His latest LP as 6th Borough Project "Find Your Rhythm" recently dropped on Roar Groove, he created a beautifully delicate remix of Auntie Flo's "Waiting for a (Woman)", had a change of scenery relocating from Scotland to Denmark and his collab EP with Dirt Crew, flush with Nachtbraker remixes was one of our biggest records of 2016! Amongst the action he's taken the time and a more "in yer face" approach to write us his latest EP, a four-tracker of proper club tracks.
"Every Night" brims with raucous disco energy. The "French Filter House" reminiscent gem's strings shimmer and funk horns hit heavy, a jam destined to wear holes in shoes. "Grit" attends to the easy-going Disco grooves we love so much from The Revenge, plenty of shake and soul it's overflowing with good-mood energy.
B-side opener "Never Learn" gives us a glimpse of the darker end of The Revenge's spectrum. Subby toms rumble, tweaked out synths bleep and slide and delayed key stabs shift the party into smoke hazed, underground rave mode. The closing track "Krokodille"brings that Bass n Electro gritty booming sound! The acidic lead wraps around sturdy drums.Straight forward with plenty of kick, what an ending to a high quality EP!
Dirt Crew's 100th release falls on this year's Deep Love Compilation. Set to drop across a double vinyl on 12.09, with 11 all exclusive original tracks from new and old favorites including Detroit Swindle, Nachtbraker, The Revenge and Felix Leifur. Take a sonic trip across deep and straight up house, infused with jazz, disco and funk. This diverse and plentiful outing includes work outs for your dance floor alongside intergalactic analogue synth laden voyages, originating from artists we've uncovered from Japan to Iceland and many places in between. A truly great way to celebrate our 100th Release.
We kick things off with a relatively new kid on the Dirt Crew block, Felix Leifur. Following up his stellar EP, the Icelandic prodigy brings us "Feels Like", a great broken beat like house cut laden with jangly percussion, warbling Rhodes and golden vocal hook, Phat! Detroit Swindle, longtime friends and contributors to the label who have become a household name in the house scene and are no strangers to the dance floor weapon, have brought us a bomb. "Tori Karaage" is a driving, sweat inducing, disco house, dance floor mover.
Ponty Mython is back with his trademark hustle and quirky sonic styling. A bouncing, intelligent and catchy groove rises with cries of "New York, New York" then gives way to a great break and spiraling arpeggio before getting right back to it. Get freaky with another one of our residents Nachtbraker, who delivers an a-typical groove and fresh approach to deep house. "Busy Bee" is heavily swung with licks of jazz piano, strummed strings and a soaring horn refrain. He flips it on its head with an unmissable breakdown, then surprises us yet again with lush atmosphere. Harry Wolfman's "Rainbow Set" reduces the tempo slightly, keeping it deep and sexy. The sultry, smooth, disco touched vibe will have hips swaying in no time. Harry is a truly unique artist and one we're very pleased to have on the label.
We take a trip into analogue territory with Marlon Hoffstadt. As part of the duo "Tender Games" and with his own imprint "Retrograde", Marlon is a fast rising new face on the scene. His track "Extra Slim Manufactured" is drum machine driven with a boisterous bass and soul to spare. "Whopa" indeed, Leipzig's finest and "Rose Records" owners M.ono & Luvless come to the party with an uplifting piano house excursion plus a whole lot of energy. A change in name but not in quality, "Huerta" aka "Steve Huerta" who collaborated on our label on numerous releases with Urulu is back with a deep and beautiful house cut. "BLVD" will make you take a breath. Pressing synths push and pull, lead lines glisten and straight to the point percussion drives it home.
Go on a suspenseful odyssey with esteemed veteran producer Good Guy Mikesh. Housier than his last release on SPIEL, he brings us "Boiling", which increases in energy degree by degree, intensity rising until the heat can no longer be contained and the whole thing begins to bubble, tumbling arpeggios releasing the pressure. Yes yes! The Revenge is back as well! Another belter from the master of the live jam direct to press. Showcasing his signature mixture of disco and house, the diva calls us to dance while thumping drums, a massive growling bass and tasty lead show the way. Direct from Japan, the latest newcomer to our label and another intrinsically original artists, we're pleased to introduce Jun Kamoda. He made his debut on Brooklyn's "Mister Saturday Night" and has surprised us with a completely new twist on house. "I know" presents casual melodies and positive energies on a transcendental landscape. Take this one on a long trip somewhere. Perfect for plane and train rides, the music speaks to time spent gazing out the window.
With that we say farewell on our 100th release, we hope you enjoy the ride.
