Review: Look Like makes his debut on Clone Royal Oak with a fresh take on classic house music, where Italo, balearic, Chicago and Detroit's influences all merge into an exciting melting pot. With previous releases on DVS1's Mistress label, Drumpoet Community and Akoya Circles, this guy is all set to blow up in 2019 for sure. The Garden Of Eden EP features the rather 808 State sounding title track - and what a throwback that is! Experience the second summer of love all over again on "Do You Love Me" and feel the vibe of his emotive electro on "Nokia Nostalgia".
Review: As debut singles go, this four-tracker from Look Like on Drumpoet Community is pretty darn good. For starters, it's pleasingly varied - contrast, for example, the sweaty, retro-futurist techno punch of "Phone Interference", and the chiming, cut-up, garage-influenced deep house warmth of "B.A.B.E" - and contains all manner of brilliant ideas. The loose, synth-heavy "Dapra", for example, boasts the intoxicating, synth-heavy madness of Maurice Fulton's Syclops project, but couples it with the booming, strobelight intensity of warehouse-friendly acid house. As for "Float", it's a paragon of picturesque beauty, with synthesized steel drum melodies cascading over a jaunty deep house groove.
Review: Based in Zurich, shady producer Look Like describes his sound as basically 'House & Bass'. Fair enough really, can't argue with that; his sound indeed nestles snugly in between these two genres. The title track comes across like a crossbreed between minimal house and bass music, clever stuff. "What I Need" is dreamy and melancholic with lots of synthetic toms and claps but the tempo only picks up for the immediate bouncy garage fun of "Don't Care". Frag Maddin take us deep into the early hours with a druggy-house e take on the title track. Also Lokiboi provides some garagey energy to "What I Need".
Review: The always reliable Drumpoet Community return with a Swiss army knife (of sorts) for deep house music, in the form of Drum Union Vol 1. The Akjoya Circles label boss Look Like appears first, first fresh off appearances on the likes of Mistress with the neon-lit, tropical balearicisms of "Full Moon Rhythm", Manuel Fischer returns to the label after last year's great Iris EP with the boogie-down acid antics of "Galactic Manhunt" and Wah-Chu-Ku delivers what is probably the EP's standout moment on the deeply emotive futurism of "Humble Beginnings". An honourable mention deserved to Mitsubishi Galaxy also, whose contribution "Metadroen" keeps the rest of the release on a techy and moody trip.
