Natan H & Amy Jean – For Her

Label: ManMakeMusic

George Fitzgerald’s impeccably curated ManMakeMusic has, over the course of its 5 releases to date, acquired a special place in our hearts not just for great music, but also for an eerie knack for spotting new talent. Apart from the labelhead’s debut release, each slab of wax to date has been by a fresh face, and the choice has ranged from Trikk’s excellent techno hybrids to Leon Vynehall’s dusty house concoctions to the mysterious and experimental debut release from U. The one thing these varied releases had in common was their superb quality, so when we heard that MMM was putting out another debut, we were more than a little excited.

For Her / I Know / Rush

EP Clips

The label hasn’t disappointed, turning out a patient and nuanced set of deep house burners from the relatively-unknown pair. Title track For Her sets the stage nicely; a solid groove underpins bright, airy synthwork and an impressively textured percussive range. The opener’s half-heard vocal snips come to the fore in second tune For Her, where a locked melodic loop not miles away from The Field compliments subtle vocal manipulations and another steady 4/4. Closer Rush features New Zealand's Amy Jean, and just about lives up to its name, upping the energy levels with an addictive bassline and a spacious layout of synths and vocal cuts. For Her isn’t chock full of dancefloor killers, but instead MMM again sidesteps the club market and offers something interesting, a polished selection of immaculately produced burners that offer a pleasant sense of space alongside the irresistible grooves.

7/10

January Roundup 2013

As long as we’ve been into the UK dance scene, it has seemed to get better every single year. 2012 was a momentous one, where the scene began to properly diversify and the darkest shades of techno could be found rubbing shoulders with the airiest bass-pop tunes. If this list is anything to go by, we might have an even more exciting year on our hands.

Let’s get on with business then. We start with our favourite track of the month, and onwards through lush piano house, dark techno sounds all the way to the experimental edges of bass music. Here are White Noise’s top tunes for January.

Tracklist:

(Click the track to go to our review of the release)

Applebottom – All Nite [Madtech]

Chesus – Special [Local Talk]

The Phantom – Vogue Dub [Your Mama’s Friend]

Bicep - Mixxmaster 88 [Wolf]

Alex Coulton – Dance, Max [Hype Ltd]

Natan H & Amy Jean – I Know [ManMakeMusic]
Kevin McPhee - Version 5 [3024]

Elson David – God Bless  [Shades of Grey]

Waifs & Strays – I Saw Yo Girl (Full Acid Vox Edit) [Future Boogie]

Parris Mitchell – All Night Long feat. Reggie Hall [Wicked Bass]

Palace – Trust [UTTU]

Boddika – Soul What (Mickey Pearce RMX) [Swamp81]

Troy Gunner – Masks [Infinite Machine]

Synkro – Acceptance [Apollo]
Diva - Paris Stabbing [New Kanada]
Delroy Edwards - Sprk tha Dust [L.I.E.S]

Machine Drum x Sun Ra – Door Of The Cosmos [All City]

Notes:

We love Bok Bok's remix of All Night Long, but it's not on Youtube. Check it here.

Listen to the full version of Chesus' Special here.