UPFRONTBEATS

No.19 Music welcomes back long-time associate Louie Fresco for a first solo EP since 2014, with standout remixes from Bas Ibellini and Shaun Reeves making this another fantastic package.

Fresco debuted on this label in 2012, and since then has served up the essential Autophobia album in 2014 and two further EPs. After a couple of quiet years, the Mexican tastemaker is back with more of his hard to categorise house and tech tunes, once again bringing plenty of quality to the table.

Fantastic opener ‘Black Wax’ is a heavyweight deep house tune with swirling pads and edgy stabs. A muffled vocal adds an old school feel and this one really builds the mood nicely. ‘Aliens (Black Wax Pt.2)’ is another super fresh offering, this time with a slinky, futuristic and upbeat tech feel that has a spaced out vibe and killer bassline. The excellent ‘Between Boroughs’ then layers up punchy broken beat patterns with romantic sax lines and crisp hits into a timeless house track perfect for intimate clubs who like their music to have a real sense of heart.

First to remix ‘Black Wax’ is Bas Ibellini, the Tuskegee and Crosstown Rebels artist and founder of the Peculiar party. His version is filled with subtle tension, leggy drums and deep looping bass that keeps on pulling you in as the pressure mounts. Last of all, Visionquest man, Detroit tastemaker and key underground figure Shaun Reeves reworks the same track into something superbly deep and horizontal, with echoing hits and distant, spooky pads bringing a heady, cosmic feel.

These are five first class house tracks with a real sense of style.

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