Hidden Spheres - Waiting

Label: Distant Hawaii

London’s Lobster Theremin imprint has put out some of the best house music of the last couple of years, but there’s an inconsistency to their output resulting in careful vetting before purchase. The latest LT release could be the underground dance bomb of the year or it could be a slab of fuzzy, largely indistinguishable straight-to-tape noodling.

LT just opened the doors on a new sub-label, Distant Hawaii, and thankfully the quality has been kept tightly in check for its first outing via Mancunian producer Hidden Spheres. The sound here is warmer and more laid-back than on LT, and Hidden Spheres ably takes on the task of producing a summer killer for the fresh imprint. The tunes here are sunny and profoundly inviting, primed for either the club or the chill, each cut offering a different flavour.

Waiting eases out in first gear, building over a rolling rhythm, syrup-thick Rhodes keys and the occasional clipped vocal to a gorgeous riff that you just want to sink into like a bath. Upsn Down picks up the pace a touch, bringing the same bittersweet chill but teasing it out into a strong climax, seething synthwork and a supple bassline bringing a touch of drama to the ‘floor.

The B-side returns to a leisurely pace, Be A Man strolling across bright melodic accents and a gently rising synth sweep. By this point you’re probably so relaxed that friends might suspect a coma, but you’ll wake up to surprising closer Bill Loves You which wields clashing hi hats and a busier harmonic arrangement that takes in noir-ish brass and a gritty acid line that underscores the pacey vocal sample. It’s a winning debut for LT’s fresh label and a particularly impressive showing from Hidden Spheres, who shows he can bring the chill with the best of them without ever straying too far from the club.

8/10

Raw M.T. - La Duna

Label: Lobster Theremin

The 2013 debut EP of Italian producer Raw M.T. on Wicked Bass really blew us away, and the potency of Walkman Is Dead has only strengthened in the two-year radio silence that ensued. On his return, here on the UK’s on-point Lobster Theremin imprint, M.T. is back guns blazing, peddling his sly rhythms in a diverse and compelling three-tracker.

Each of these tracks brings a distinct flavour to the table, like an action movie dream-team. Title track La Duna is a patient deep house number, the starkness of Walkman Is Dead replaced by airy synthwork that shifts and parts like clouds. Yet the focus is still unashamedly on rhythm, the drum section fluid and intricate, a perfect eyes-down groover. Untitled is the main course, an exotic roller that would sit right at home on the Workshop catalogue. Here a chunky beat pattern and bird calls build to a fizzing bassline and a celestial synth hum, all topped off by an ethereal, garbled vocal in who knows what language, easily making for one of the year’s finest tracks to date.

Til this point we’ve seen heard little of the darkness of Raw M.T.’s debut release, but he lets the night loose on claustrophobic closer Strike. There is a constant pressure to his rhythms, muffled Shed-like kicks and knotty percussion barely contained by corrosive, acid-hungry synths. La Duna is a supremely assured sophomore release, as Raw M.T. stretches in three directions at once and nails each one. With another release lined up soon on Wicked Bass, it’s clear that M.T. is still a voice to be very excited about.

8/10

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

Palms Trax - Equation

Label: Lobster Theremin

2013 has already proved itself a vintage year for house music, with new artists and labels popping up almost every week. The sheer volume of new music may all seem a little overwhelming, but for discerning fans London’s newly minted Lobster Theremin imprint should prove an essential stop on many a personal house odyssey. Set up by the people behind the capital’s club staple Streets of Beige, the label has drafted in Berlin’s Palms Trax for its first release, collecting three superb house jams backed by a remix from man of the moment Willie Burns. 

Equation

It’s no novelty to hear young producers referencing Chicago and Detroit on their hardware, but rarely is this feat pulled off with such grace and eye for melody. It's also worth applauding that while the majority of house practitioners currently veil themselves in distortion and lofi trappings, on his debut Palms Trax goes for a polished sound that sounds so fresh, capturing the listener's imagination by going against the grain. The Equation EP evokes Nu Groove-era Burrell Brothers, with the new millenium’s percussive weight twinned to lush retro grooves. The release kicks off with Late Jam’s rattling drum machine workout, as punchy clap patterns vie for dominance with a showstopping bassline. It’s often said that the simplest grooves work best, and Late Jam comes as proof, as later a dreamy synth wash and burbling acid licks enter the fray, sure to set the dancefloor alight. Yet even the strongest of starts can’t prepare the listener for the EP’s phenomenal title track, where bassline and glistening synth melodies are set in balletic counterpoint, bursting from the speakers with untold energy.

The B-side continues to ply pad-driven house jams with a deeper focus, as Houses In Motion drifts into interstellar territory, starlit melodies jostling against taut handclap and cowbell rhythms. Remix duties are also perfectly pitched as Willie Burns steps up, fresh from a series of fiery releases on Crème Organization, L.I.E.S., and Trilogy Tapes. His wryly titled ‘dance remix’ of Late Jam is a nervous affair, swapping the original’s centrepiece bassline for searing synths and jittery atmospherics. It's a strong rework, and says a lot about the power of Palms Trax's material that his tracks are not overshadowed by this more experienced hand. A new label has to start with a splash to make ripples in today’s overcrowded scene, and Lobster Theremin have knocked this one out of the park, a stunning set of house tracks sure to go down as some of the year’s very best.

8.5/10