UPFRONTBEATS

Watergate Records returns late September with Kerri Chandler’s ‘Checkmate’, accompanied by remixes from Cinthie and Steve Rachmad.

New Jersey’s Kerri Chandler has long been one of the most respected figures in electronic music and one of the finest purveyors of authentic, underground house music as both a DJ and producer. Here we see him make a welcome return to Watergate Records following his compilation for the brand back in 2014 amongst his regular appearances at the Berlin club.

The original mix of ‘Checkmate’ opens and in true fashion from the house maestro sets the tone of raw, understated and emotive house via an amalgamation of dreamy synth chord sequences, acid tinged bass lines and floaty arps, all accompanied by his signature New Jersey swing on the drum programming.

Berlin based Beste Modus / Unison Wax boss Cinthie steps up on remix duties next, adding her own twist and signature style to things putting the focus on shuffled crunchy rhythms whilst subtly stirring in snippets of the originals smooth melodies. Lastly Steve Rachmad aka Sterac turns in his take on ‘Checkmate’, offering up a Techno counterpart with a subtly unfolding, vacillating bass hook, echoing drum stutters and some dubby reworking of the original’s chords.

Kerri Chandler’s ‘Checkmate’ is out on Watergate Records 25th September 2017.

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