In tandem with Feel Fly aka Daniele Tomassini's debut album on Internasjonal we invited DJ Sotofett to do his thing over a track of his choosing. Head honcho PT on side B. Pressed on 45 for maximum pleasure/pressure.
For his Studio Barnhus debut, Laurence Guy connects the dots between the lo-fi ambient investigations of his 2017 album Saw You For The First Time, the warm club sounds heard on All I See Is Her (last year’s standout 12′’ for Tokyo’s Mule Music), and the London-based dj/producer’s long roots in deep drum’n’bass and dubstep soil. Those roots, always present as subtle rhythmical traces on Laurence Guy records, now appear more explicitly than ever, boosting the typically graceful harmonies and sooty samples of Guy’s music with a new, profound energy. From the unswerving neo-jungle of Wildlife, through My Brain Is A Scrambled Egg with its dusty rave euphorisms, onwards to the hypnotic guitar ballad It’s Good To Try, this six-track EP is chock-full of the sort of unrestrained musical enthusiasm that Studio Barnhus is always on the lookout for. Making Music Is Bad For Your Self Esteem is at once Guy’s most experimental and most personal record yet, an essential addition to both artist’s and label’s catalogues.
Clutching At Straws is a brand new label established by Brian Ring. Born in Cork, Ireland. Ring has been residing in Berlin for over 4 years, during which time he has lent his dancefloor-focused, predominantly house sounds to a range of renowned labels including Freerange. Running Back and Bordello A Parigi. A producer who values a vehement quality-over-quantity approach, Clutching At Straws represents the first time Ring has helmed his own imprint. Featuring two originals as well as a remix from London producer Kiwi, the Reflections EP is most definitely deserving of the wait.
We kick off with ‘Acid Sunrise’, a classy house cut that envelops the listener in a warm glow from the off. Full of colourful motifs throughout, it’s part acid/part Balearic-tinged sound is the perfect antidote to Europe’s current climes. Characterised by a nimble, catchy-as-hell baseline, this one is pure dynamite of the sort that will sound at its most pronounced as the first signs of morning begin to enter the dancefloor.
Next up is Kiwi, a producer who’s been making power moves of his own lately thanks to a host of well-received cuts for the likes of Jennifer Cardini’s Correspondent, Tennis’ Life & Death and Optimo’s Optimo Music. His dramatic reinterpretation of Ring’s ‘Forest Walk’ , is a highbrow gem that’s full of gorgeous melodies and all-round positive vibes, with the man in charge changing the narrative quite exceptionally toward the track’s final phases.
Culminating the record is the sounds of ‘Emergency Tool’, a real statement track that’s sure to leave DJs and dancers in a frenzy over the next few months. An upfront banger of the sort that wonderfully incorporates both house and techno elements, it starts off on a fairly innocuous tip before unfurling into an uptempo beast. Full of clever bells and a vocal that demands us to “move!” (as well as a wailing cop siren that only heightens the sense of mania), ‘Emergency Tool’ is a track that’s destined to be used by discerning DJs when they really have to step things up a notch.
