Review: Earth Boys, the dynamic duo comprising Michael Sherburn and Julian Duron, make a compelling return to Public Release with their latest release, In the Sun. True to their distinctive style, the EP carries the raw and smoke-infused essence that defines the Earth Boys sound. The lead cut with its melodies and '90s house inspirations undergoes a hypnotic transformation with an Eden Burns remix, delivering a tweaky groove ideal for building peak-time energy. Tokyo's Mayurashka contributes a deep and contemplative atmospheric chugger to his remix, adding to the versatility of the five tracks on offer here, with "Fog Night" going deep and dubby - a classic after-midnight burner.
Review: It's a while since we last heard from Fillipo and Nick Woolfson's Metropolitan Soul Museum project. They last pleased our ears back in 2020 and it's even longer since their breakthrough releases on Rawax and Toy Tonics. The Pleasure Principle, their first EP on Public Release, is a strong return, with opener 'L'Ete' offering a near perfect fusion of weighty micro-house grooves, bubbly electronics, ghostly deep house chords and dub-style effects. 'Reapers' is an even more melancholic and dubbed-out chunk of tech-tinged soundscape deep house, while 'The Pleasure Principle' is a sleazy and low-slung affair full of deep sub bass, low-register acid lines, digital cowbells and, as the track progresses, foreboding electronic riffs. 'Objects', meanwhile, is a dreamy breakbeat-house number perfect for sound-tracking summer sunsets.
Review: The line-up of remixers on this mixed-up outing from Public Release is undeniably impressive, so it's little surprise to find that the reworks themselves are largely inspired too. Kango Kult's EP-opening 'Swamp Dub' of Richard Sen's 'Abstract Dance' is a genuinely trippy, mind-altering and glassy-eyed fusion of weirdo acid house, tropical percussion and thrusting sub-bass, while former Rub & Tug man Eric Duncan's revision of Fran-Key's 'Summer Into Winter' recalls the Balearic-minded nu-disco/deep house fusions he once created as part of Still Going. Also impressive are Jex Opolis' slick, retro-futurist deep house take on Tim Sweeney's 4th & Broadway and Matrixxman and Vin Sol's Larry Heard-influenced rework of 'Slice to the Top' by Tendts.
Review: There's a serious amount of musical heat to be found on the latest edition of Public Release's occasional multi-artist EP series. It's the San Francisco-based imprint's first exercise of this sort since 2016 and contains a sextet of must-check tunes. Amongst the many highlights are a creepy, sub-heavy, bleep-influenced number from Richard Sen (the rather good 'Abstract Dance'), a typically dreamy and positive trip into immersive deep house territory from Earth Boys ('EBoys 2020'), Fran-Key's throbbing, Italo-influenced late night hypnotism ('Summer Into Winter'), and the enveloping, opaque electronics and dusty, all-action grooves of Metropolitan Soul Museum's 'Stoneman'. An impressive snapshot of where the label's at, which is a place we'd like to be.
Review: After some great tracks by the man on top labels Tief, Compost and his own Merc, here's some proper straight up deepness by the British producer Mark E on the 20th release by Public Release. Titled the Shelter EP, the West Midlands-based artist made his debut on the label back in 2016 with the Sky Horn EP, and has since been a frequent remixer for the Northern Californian label. Features the smoky late night dancefloor mystery of "Shake", the Theo Parrish/Three Chairs vibe of soulful slo-mo jam "M-54" and the lo-slung moody boogie-down drama of "Shinkansen".
Review: As this EP for Public Release shows, Earth Boys are experts at creating cosmic house music. It's no coincidence that they are putting out music on the Californian imprint or that their small catalogue also features a record for Canadian space cadets 1080p. Fittingly, the title track is a dreamy, teased out break beat affair that grooves along just below the 120 bpm mark. Featuring stoned vocal samples and tropical textures, it sets the tone for the release. "Big Time" is more direct, but it resounds to dreamy chimes and a loose rhythm, while on "Put me On" has a tighter backing track without forsaking Earth Boys' deep approach. Finally, "Highway 1" brings the listener back to where they started with a jazz sax-infused breaker that conjures up images of marine drives and summer sunsets along the US West Coast.
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