Sunday 16 February 2014

DJ JustJay

Life can't be filled with just loud, angry noises so when Deep House Records sent me in the direction of one of their new acts soundcloud, I snapped it up. Partly it was because it's nice to know that House is still going, despite the onslaught of DubStep, EDM, and the euro sound, and partly it's something I don't listen to all that much (even though a load of the early 80's American Industrial stole from it wholesale) and it's always good to hear something different.

The three mixes presented have, unsurprisingly, a good, deep grove to them, occasionally moving into what this ill educated ears would call 'trancy'. What is pleasantly surprising is how sparing the sound is: rather than a million things trying to happen all at once there is a single clear baseline, drumline, and hook happening at any one time. You end up with a solid but clear sound, laid back but still ready to party, that would sound just as good at the bar as on the dancefloor. The samples are varied, the core tracks are diverse, and the soundbites are nicely picked but it's presented in an unhurried fashion which allows each idea to unfold and conclude as the section demands. No stunt DJing, no jarred drops, just everything in place and orderly. It also manages to avoid sounding retro, whilst it clearly shows off it's old-school roots this is something that is happy to not reinvent the wheel but still stick to the basic formula when its called for. So give it a listen, and if you spot him in a club near you go and give him a look. You'll be in for an enjoyable time.

No comments: