Route 8 - This Raw Feeling

Label: Lobster Theremin

With EPs out on Nous and Lobster Theremin, two of Europe’s most exciting new imprints, Hungarian producer Route 8’s dreamy house meditations have us rapt. To date his work has been captivating due to its contrast of soft and rough textures, particularly in the percussion, and the unashamedly emotive melodies and ambient washes that set everything in a deep haze. For his latest return to the Lobster he puts out some of his most subdued material to date, and it happens to also be some of his best.

Opener The Sunrise In Her Eyes is a particularly wistful, melancholic cut, where a soft grey wash drifts over a subtle groove, later joined by a pulse-quickening snare and gentle, optimistic keys that shine through the mist of the track’s second half. It’s a stunning tune, teased out with patience, its atmosphere caressing the ears like a gentle tide. Next up is the tougher title track which sets those same delicate atmospherics over a more muscular rhythm section, a bright synth melody cascading over the propulsive drums. It’s a perfect embodiment of Route 8’s mastery over his sound, seamlessly incorporating soaring Detroit techno drama into his deep house template.

The B-side continues apace, with It Doesn’t Matter Anymore bringing a taut electro snap and Ash Dub a rattling array of shifting percussion. These tracks don’t quite have the explosive impact of the record’s A-side but all four cuts highlight the contrast between tender melodies, full of longing and regret, and taut drum patterns that tug the arrangements inexorably forwards. It’s a superb package, the best in Route 8’s already impressive discography, and sits alongside debuts from Daze and Palms Trax as one of Lobster Theremin’s very best releases.

8/10