Review: The latest release on America's Smooth Agent Records sees Italian duo The Zars deliver a woozy, wide-eyed concoction that sits somewhere in the margins between house and nu-disco. "Some More Dope" has all the atmospherics of deep house, but its percussive touches (most notably some tasty cowbells), midtempo groove and bubbly electronics scream nu-disco. Either way, it should have wide appeal. The remixes are impressive, too, with Ooft going balls-deep in search of intoxicating deep house thrills, and Lumindisco opting for a rush-inducing wall of sound approach; it's impressively tactile. More disco thrills can be found on the Soundstream-ish "Saxa Rubra".
Review: US producer Nebraska proves yet again why he's one of the world's greatest house producers. "Green Marimba" could come as a surprise to his fans as it focuses on a more stripped back, tribal rhythm than usual, but in the main this a deep house fan's wet dream. Both "88-89" and "Hi Ya" manage to capture the balance between the traditional soulfulness and machine-driven warmth that original Chicago producers like Larry Heard excelled at. Meanwhile "Tell Me Symmetrical" oozes tripped out acid excess but is underscored by the kind of atmospheric textures that Nebraska is best known for - and rounds off this essential release in style.
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