Lords Of Midnite - Drown In Ur Love

Label: Unknown To The Unknown

After topping our list of 2012’s best labels, DJ Haus’ Unknown To The Unknown imprint has shown no sign of slowing down in 2013. Within the last seven months the unpredictable imprint has gone from electro to bassline to grime, and now welcomes Lords of Midnite to try a hand in the revived field of sci-fi analog house jams. While the moniker may be new, this producer is no stranger to the style (the catalogue number somewhat spoils the mystery), issuing a trio of powerful house workouts that evoke ultra-modern skylines alongside the ghettos of future past in fine Detroit style.

Drown In Ur Love

Midnite gets the ball rolling with the glittering arpeggios and bristling atmospherics of Drown In Ur Love, soon joined by a thudding kick that guides the listener through the track’s twists and turns. The drum pattern is constructed like a breakbeat, adorned with faded synth washes and distant vocals, building slowly to a sublime retro-futurist bassline that towers over the track’s second half. Each composition has an original, bustling quality which takes the listener on a journey, constantly surrounded by a sifting array of space-age components. Skyscrapers Of Yphsilion is just such an example, bringing ghetto crunk to the year 3000, as Dancemania-esque vocals ride over squealing acid lines and mechanised beat patterns.

Finally We Gonna Ride Tonite deals in bright synth streaks shot through with funk, as a tunnelling bass motif plies the record’s most irresistible groove over a field of dusty drums and smooth melodic slides reminiscent of Underground Resistance. In an age where the past’s visions of the future constitute a key trend in the present, you can trust a label as staunchly leftfield as UTTU to bring something special, which is just what they’ve done on this striking collection.

7/10