Art Of Tones At Juno Download

Review: La Debandade is the follow up to Art of Tones' EP "The World As I Live It", released on Room With A View last year to much critical and popular acclaim. All three tracks offer Ludovic's take on the classic 90s US house sound that inspired to him to begin producing, and these classic influences are engrained deep in the three originals on offer: "About Time" combines a thick, bumping bassline with a diva vocal and jiving Wurlitzer, while "Dolces" combines a feel good Paradise Garage vibe with Balearic accents. La Debandade offers the most contemporary feel, with a soulful house track filled with Gallic melodic charm. The EP is rounded off with "Bonus Beats" versions of the first two tracks, stripped back for DJ use, and a reprise of La Debandade which offers a more laid back version of the driving original.

Review: While its releases have so far been sporadic, Hamburg's Room With A View has an impressive pedigree. Under the watchful eye of owner and A&R man Phil Dairmount, the label has proved a constant source of quality house and techno over the last three years - as this 15-track retrospective neatly shows. There's much to admire, not least Dairmount's overriding passion for machine soul. Everything here is touched by raw, electronic beauty, be it spine-tingling vocal techno (the wonderful Sebastien San/Aaron Carl collaboration "Faces"), Larry Heard-ish Chicagoan deepness (Motor City Drum Ensemble), melancholic futurism (Sasse, Basic Soul Unit) or smooth deep house (Art Of Tones).