Review:
Since launching last spring, Jay Shepheard's Retrofit label has earned a reputation as a solid bet for high quality deep house. The label's success has largely been down to Shepheard himself, who seems to have enjoyed a new lease of life since moving back to the UK from spells in Berlin and Poland. This fifth instalment in the series sees Shepheard team up with pal Matthew Burton for four more decidedly organic excursions. Lead cut "Liberal Zee" is outstanding in its combination of floor-friendly deep house groovyness and addictive late night funk. With live electric bass, deep keys and brilliantly layered percussion to the fore, it's sparse but exquisite.
"Just You", meanwhile, goes deeper still, crafting an hypnotic afterhours groove from the sparsest of elements. "Merked" treads a similar path, but is noticeably "bigger" in its sound - a reflection of the use of loose-wristed jazz percussion (hi-hats to the fore) and more pads, chords and melodic elements. The EP is rounded off by a decent remix of "Just You" by Matt N Kate - aka Burton and regular Shepheard chanteuse Kate Rathod. It comes on like a megamix of elements from all three tracks - an "everything but the kitchen sink" rub that somehow manages to retain an atmospheric deep house feel. Like the rest of the EP, it's superb.