Review: Five months after Whitesquare launched the Visual Distortions label via one-track single 'Inside My Soul', that cut returns to Junodownload in remixed form. Permanent Vacation co-founder Benjamin Frohlich steps up first with a heavily atmospheric, casually cosmic revision that re-casts the track as a moody chunk of glassy-eyed Balearic nu-disco wooziness, before Mirage X flip the script entirely on a rushing, retro-futurist house workout that boasts a few not-so-subtle hints to colossal, turn-of-the-90s dance anthems from Europe. It's great fun and you'll be hearing it a lot over coming months. To round off the package, Reznik delivers a deep, dubby, hazy and moody tech-house take that makes great use of space in the mix and densely layered, looped vocal snippets.
Review: After three years away, Maurice Uzzan has returned to the Life & Death label with a two-part EP that cannily showcases the growing depth, variety and complexity of his dancefloor-focused productions. 'Discreet Moment Thing', the title track of the dual EP, kicks off this second volume, offering an attractively pulsating, occasionally foreboding workout that boasts distinctive nods towards both EBM and new beat - all stabbing, sequenced synth-bass, stuttering (and decidedly hallucinatory) vocal samples, sweaty drums and jacking intent. He moves further back in time for inspiration on 'Lady Cherry', whose warming chords, squelchy synth bass, twinkling keys, unfussy machine drums and pleasingly 1980s-sounding lead lines sound like they were inspired by Pet Shop Boys' first two albums.
Review: Under the now familiar Whitesquare alias, Maurice Uzzan has spent the last seven years bouncing between high profile and well-regarded labels such as Toy Tonics, Culprit, Freerange Records, DFTD and Life & Death. Here he returns to the latter label for the first time since 2019, delivering the first helping of a two-part release that tends towards the summery and celebratory. Opener 'Carte Blanche' is a driving, throbbing treat, with the Rome-based producer adding crunchy cowbells, spinetingling synth-pop chords, breakbeat bursts and mutilated male vocal samples to a druggy, intergalactic groove that reminded us of the most inspired 'space disco' moments of Hans-Peter Lindstron and Todd Terje. 'Lux Interior' meanwhile joins the dots between piano-laden Italian house, sweaty Italian house and glassy-eyed nu-disco.
Review: A straight 12 months since Italian producer Whitesquare debuted on Life And Death with the Visual Distortion Of Reality EP, Maurice Uzzan returns with Seventy Days Of Deja Vu. An '80s synth inspired mini-LP at large - made during a 70 day lockdown period - Whitesquare introduces a new kind of renegade funk to his sound, with tracks like "Roma Deserta" good enough for any action movie montage. Deeper tones, uplifting melodies and trance influences steal the show in "I've Been Here Before", with electronic basslines and touches of jazz instrumentation and percussion supporting the new age vibe of "Memories Of Tomorrow". Find ever-cascading chords, electro pan-pipes, pianos and some heavy Phil Collins-esque drum fills plotted between the slow motion Italo groove of "Same Day, Different Day" with a surprise section of jungle and breakbeat madness is "Fase Due".
Review: Following Eps for 20:20 Vision and Freerange, Whitesquare aka Maurice Uzzan makes his debut for Life And Death. This release draws on a number of sources for inspiration; on the title track, the bass is influenced by early 90s house, while the acid line is redolent of Josh Wink at his finest. The dreamy vocal samples and break beats on "Not Moving" could have come from a San Fran free party, while "Jasmine" is more grounded. Led by an earthy acid line and a stepping rhythm, it's one of the more functional tracks on this release - until DJ Tennis gets his hands on it and turns it into a rumbling, 303-led roller.
Review: Since making his debut a few years back, Maurice "Whitesquare" Uzzan has notched up appearances on such highly regarded labels as Culprit, DFTD, Toy Tonics, 20:20 Vision and, most recently, Jimpster's Freerange Recordings. Here he returns to the latter with three more atmospheric and polished chunks of European deep house. The real peak-time beast is "Ligai", a typically woozy and slowly building affair that layers alien synth-bass, foreboding chords and metallic electronic riffs atop a percussively powerful tech-house groove. The EP's other two cuts are deeper, breezier and more delicately layered, with the South African inspired goodness of "Stina" being followed by the blissful and melodious electronic deep house warmth of "Sand".
Review: Roman tech-house producer Whitesquare is back! The Lyase boss follows up releases on top labels like Freerange and Gruuv with this magnificent EP. Starting off with the emotive and melodic deepness of "Limitation" which is reminiscent of Fort Romeau's work, the slinky and almost progressive house styled groove of "Velvet Room" plus the sombre "Pressing Points" which is geared for some of those life-affirming and solitary moments on the dancefloor - just before the smoke machine comes on. Very impressed with the output of Tropical Animals of late - keep it coming guys!
Review: With releases for Toy Tonics, 20:20 Vision and Defected's DFTD offshoot under his belt already, Maurice Uzzan AKA Whitesquare is clearly a producer on the rise. The Masquerade, his first outing on Gruuv, should enhance his reputation further. Certainly, you'll struggle to find a breezier and more melodious deep house cut Solivagent, where Kalimba style synthesizer melodies and rich hand percussion hits rise above a warm and groovy backing track. Pezzner's accompanying remix, which makes more of the fluid Kalimba style lines while taking the track further towards hazy deep house territory, is also rather impressive. Elsewhere, "Makgeolli" sounds like a meandering, liquid deep house take on an early Ame favourite, while "Tsom" is a glassy-eyed saunter through revivalist dream house pastures.
Review: The recent Franky Rizardo In The Mix compilation was released recently to a great reception on powerhouse imprint Defected and here we get treated to a bunch of exclusive edits from the mix. There's Roman producer Whitesquare teaming up with Mannheim's finest Nick Curly on the rolling and funky vocal house of "Underground Abduction" where Rizardo (he's actually Dutch, by the way!) tries his deft hand at the edit and impresses. Second offering "Forward Pleasure" by Spaniard Coyu in conjunction with Montreal's Paolo Rocco (Graffiti Tapes/Hot Creations) is Ibiza style tech house with the mandatory bump and shuffle plus a totally massive drop: you must hear Rizardo's resplice of this monster!
Review: Roman producer Whitesquare returns after great releases on the likes of 2020 Vision, Lyase Recordings and Los Angeles' Culprit with Ride On Time, for new Defected sub label DFTD. Starting out with the tough, steely and dubby shuffle of "Lysergic", a warehouse size stormer which undoubtedly takes it cues from modern legends like Shed, there's then even more main room, retro influenced vibes on "Delysid" which comes off sounding more like Special Request with its hands in the air house organ stabs, banging and rusty rhythms and loved up pads. As the label themselves so eloquently put it "He makes the perfect match with DFTD and we look forward to these tracks dominating on the dancefloor."
Review: The boss is back! The legendary UK pioneer and Bedrock head honcho gives us a live set from Canada's second city, complete with crowd noise. Digweed's knack for sniffing out the most cutting edge progressive and tech house grooves is second to none and you can bet that this set is chock block full of narrative, innovative grooves: one journey you'll never forget! Featuring contributions from Germany's Recondite ("Tame"/"Baro"), Glasgow's Sei A ("You Can Bring"), Berlin's Smash TV ("Cascadia"/"God Key") and Los Angeles' Eagles & Butterflies amongst a host of other big names. Also comes as six continuous mixes for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
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