Chesus – Goodfoot

Label: Ten Thousand Yen

90s House throwback isn’t that hard to find at the moment, but discerning readers will point out it’s hard to find done well. The deceptively simple constructions of feel-good diva house are seen as a good way to get into the game, but we can’t all be Bicep, and the majority of offerings sound trite and derivative. The key, perhaps, is lineage. If you’ve got a solid grounding in dance music, you can do 90s house well, a theory exemplified by seasoned producer Chesus. Although you might not recognise the name, the Welsh producer might be more recognisable as the ‘C’ from garage-obsessed C.R.S.T. On the Goodfoot EP, out on Doc Daneeka’s quality Ten Thousand Yen label, Chesus comes up with the goods, four blazing classic house tracks with some choice collaborators.

Goodfoot

The EP opens with its finest cut in the form of title track Goodfoot, a collab with labelmate Didz and the underrated Organ Grinder. An unstoppably infectious piano riff reigns supreme over a pitch-perfect vocal sample and a pleasingly dramatic bassline. On the second track The Organ Grinder returns for the more low-key 4am Dub, with a bouncing bassline, soft pads and a hard kick. The whole track is completed by a powerful organ stab that elevates this one above your average house throwback.

Chesus’ solo efforts aren’t quite as remarkable, but still bring big vibes to the dancefloor. Feelings is a deeper, heads-down affair with a series of vocals that snake their way through colourful synths and a bouncing bassline, but ultimately fails to conjure the energy of the first two tracks. The same could be said for 3am Dub, which is essentially a deeper reworking of the core elements of the earlier Organ Grinder collaboration. Goodfoot won’t turn any heads for those disenchanted by the return of 90s house, but for the fans there aren’t many currently doing it better.

7/10