Be With U – Fort Romeau

Fort Romeau has been releasing original, powerful house tracks for a while now. His new release Be With U is a lush, deep kind of track that can cope with a lot of listens. It will get less attention than his other work since it is more reflective than it is danceable, but I think it is a real gem.

The track itself has three phases. The synth pads and piano kick in around half-way, and then three quarters through you enter a beautiful brass section to see out the track as the drums fade out. The sparseness of it all and the lengthy, spacious builds make the pay-offs extra sweet.

Bonus tracks: here is my post on my all-time favourite Fort Romeau track, Secrets & Lies (featuring a sample from Dirty Dancing no less!)

And finally, here is another cracker, Dweller on the Threshold. Enjoy.

Feelings – KH

In the comments section for this track someone has written “I’m a Kieran-sexual (musically speaking)” which is a bit gross but at the same time I know what they mean.

You get the sense that KH is having some fun with Feelings. The monstrous track name is almost unsearchable. And in the track itself, an iconic Star Guitar sample gets kicked back to the beat by Britney. Fun.

Kieran Hebden is the man behind KH (aka Four Tet). You can see him play live, accompanied by the incredible Squidsoup lighting, at Alexandra Palace in the new year.

More Dusky

Long time no see listeners. I’m back with a triple-helping of Dusky goodness.

First up, one of my fave tracks from 2012, their remix of Cloud 9’s Don’t You Want Me Baby. This’ll be sure to get a smile on yer face.

But look, this is Dusky we are talking about, and it all really began (just over) a decade ago with Stick By This. Earlier this year they released a deluxe 10 year anniversary edition with some tasty little edits. Here. You. Go.

And finally, they released a new album just last week. Maybe you were at EartH this weekend for the launch party. Anyway, Pressure is a tribute to the sound of their youth, which is… garage. I have to be honest, most garage isn’t really for me – but for these guys I’ll make a small exception. Check it out here.

Never The Same – Loods

I’m highly aware that this is skating just on the ride side of cheese (kind of Loods’ MO) but sometimes you’ve just got to let go. If you do that, you will be rewarded, because this feels real good. Definitely a track to be enjoyed in the sunshine after a drink or two. There’s not much subtlety about it, just strings and horns working to full effect. Summer 2022 baby!

The track is out now on Steel City Records. He’s not from Sheffield, he’s from Newcastle. But not that one, the one in Oz. Which is actually known as Steel City. Who knew?

Gunk – Overmono

I’ve been sitting on this for way too long. Please forgive me.

It’s UK duo Overmono with Gunk. They stood out at Wide Awake festival and this track was the one with the biggest impact. It has a ravey Jacques Greene kind of vibe that hits right.

They are getting well stuck into the European festival circuit with a UK tour to follow in the Autumn (including Koko in September) – don’t miss out.

Bonus track: this was my first exposure to the duo – an incredibly powerful remix of an incredibly powerful track. Full write-up here.

Crosswalk – Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

This is my go-to track right now.

I’ve been a TEED fan for a long time, and it makes me really happy that he is back on the solo production train after some well-publicised time away and ups and downs. His two latest singles tell me that his second album is one to be excited about. Where the Lights Go will be released in July and has a mammoth 17 tracks. A lot more TEED to look forward to.

Bonus album: 8th June 2022 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the release of Trouble. And here it is.