Album Review: Slow It Down - Small Pyramids

Slow It Down is the latest release on Glasgow Underground and it's the work of one Zach Hunsaker, going by the name of Small Pyramids. Hunsaker's musical experience developed in Los Angeles where he began DJing using a mixture of disco, funk and R&B. Having got into production through re-edits, then sampling and ultimately full original tracks his first EP, Another Way To Feel, came out in 2010 and the resulting acclaim led to him signing to GU.

Slow It Down features three tracks already released as Small Pyramids - his first single, from 2011, "I Want Blood" along with "The Music" and "Don't Do It To Me" - joined by a number of new productions.

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Slow It Down - Small Pyramids

The overall sound is smooth ballearic take on disco that takes a lot of inspiration from the production techniques of R&B, though the style of each track varies significantly. "Lil' Bit" is a gently swaying soul track with a male and female vocal pairing and some disco guitar. In contrast that aforementioned single, "I Want Blood", bubbles away with a looped crescendo designed to celebrate the first moments of post-sunset partying - soft but with a definite intent.

There are further diversions - the album's latter tracks are more laid back. "Driftin'" has a heavy, slow moving bass line that has to fight against gravity to manage its own weight whilst a whispered vocal and  synth melody give the track a hot and sunny sound. "Make It Smoother" meanwhile is funky R&B that demonstrates Hunsaker's ability to produce more lively cut-up sounds.

Slow It Down is straightforward in vision - it's a fairly simple collection of electronic disco jams but for those who like their music with restraint there is a fair amount here to enjoy.

Slow It Down is released through Global Underground on 30 September, available to pre-order from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 now [affiliate link]. 

Video: Florence Welch & Dev Hynes cover Icona Pop's "I Love It"

Straight allies, Florence Welch of Florence & the Machine and Dev Hynes of Blood Orange join a growing list of musicians standing with the Human Rights Campaign on the right side of history. Equality Rocks! Learn more at www.hrc.org/equalityrocks #EQUALITYROCKS Filmed at Le Poisson Rouge, event produced by Barbi Rockers and hosted by Amanda Leigh Dunn.

Loving this cover of Icona Pop's "I Love It" by Florence, sans-Machine but with Dev Hynes. Random but good and further evidence of Hynes' imminent ascent to major-league producer status. 

Hat tip to Barnickle for finding!

Album Review: Classic Through The Eyes Of: Honey Dijon

This new compilation from Classic is part of the Classic Through The Eyes Of... series that encourages DJs and producers to out together a mix that gives their own take on the label's respected catalogue.

Up on Classic's latest release is Chicago native but New York resident Honey Dijon. She has recently made something of a name for herself, through releases with Nervous, Skint and DJ Sneak Classics,  and by becoming something of a fashion icon. She has recently been selected to provide the soundtrack for fashion shows in New York and London, writes a fashion column and even got a shout out on Absolutely Fabulous:

LEGENDARY INTERNATIONAL DEEJAY "HONEY DIJON", GETS A MUCH DESERVED MENTION, DURING THE LATEST "ABFAB", ON JULY 25TH, 2012

Honey has been a somewhat regular partner for Classic for some time and as such she moves through the catalogue with a sense of familiarity, pulling out some absolutely classics (small 'c') but blending them into a mix that is distinctive, contemporary and all hers. In the former category we have the SWAG  dub of Metro Area's "Piña", a mix of Blaze's brilliant "Lovelee Dae" and another mix of Isolée's defining "Beau Mot Plage". All three tracks say a lot about Classic's best output since they have all been the kind of tracks that make it into a very varied set of DJ boxes.

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Classic Through The Eyes Of: Honey Dijon

There are also a number of Honey Dijon remixes worked into the track list and they show off the producer's sound and lend the album a sense of personality, a crisp and clipped sense of funk audible in her style on tracks like "You Don't Know" by DJ Ali featuring Tim Fuller - it feels warm and sweaty. The album's tech-house heart comes through clearly and tracks such as Atlantic Fusion's "Sanctuary" and the album is at its best when it grants it a level of humanity and intimacy. There are moments where it feels too long, too clever and too reserved but on the whole it's a cool celebration of the Classic sound.

Classic Through The Eyes Of: Honey Dijon is out now through Classic, available to buy on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link]. 

Download: Falling For You - L'Étranger

After my Diplo & Friends BBC Radio One play, I thought I'd celebrate by giving away Falling For You as a free download for a limited period. Come and say hello on facebook and twitter . "Elle commence par une comédie, elle se continue dans une atmosphère dramatique, elle se termine, selon moi du moins, dans l'atmosphère de la tragédie".

A glorious bit of French touch courtesy of the (Yorkshire based!) L'Étranger here in the form of their gorgeous track "Falling For You". The track is available as a free download temporarily to celebrate a recent airing within Lazerdisk's recent guest mix for Diplo & Friends on Radio 1.

There's apparently a new EP in the works and we can expect a special guest, but in the meantime I'll be jacking this up on my headphones! 

EP Review: Minos EP - Remote

The Minos EP came out this week on the Meant label and comes from French duo Remote, who are Eric Guillanton and Seb Fouble. This release quickly won my attention with its deep techno influenced sound that crunches together tight drum beats, dirty digital bass lines and a ravey atmosphere.

Remote have been active for more than a decade and have had releases on Kill the DJ, Zone and Foundation alongside Meant and it's clear their music would sit in the heartland of those labels. This is lovingly crafted analogue dance music.

Where "Minos" has the incessant sweatbox atmosphere described above, a distinctive Weatherall vibe, the remix from My Favorite Robot regular Fairmont is slower and more dense. It's an unsettling twisted and cinematic trip through ambient landscapes.

"Easy" is similarly analogue but less Weatherall, more Rework. It's a cyclical beast with hard edges and lots and lots of reverb, less upfront than the EP's title track but all the cooler for it. Headman provides the remix of this second track, turning it into a swirling acid  track with Headman's trademark rock-song type feel. There are arpeggiated synths and melodies that slide beneath themselves, a taught bass guitar riff tying it all together.

All in all a smart, focused and tightly executed release.

Minos is out now on Meant. Available on MP3 from Amazon.co.uk [affiliate link].  Listen to "Minos" through Soundcloud below:

Remote - Minos ep on Meant