UPFRONTBEATS

The always welcome Orbiter series is back for a fantastic fifth instalment with a carefully curated mixture of artists old and new. Legends like Timo Maas and Joeski appear next to newer talents such as Proudly People and Emery Warman across four cuts of fresh house music.

Hungarian Emery is someone who has been toiling away for many years, at first mostly on his local scene but then he got support from Music On boss Marco Carola and hasn’t looked back. He’s worked with Elrow Music and MadTech, and his freaky ‘Mangonada’ tune is a percolating bit of tech-funk with roaming synths that cast a spell on you as the silky drums roll on.

Rockets & Ponies boss Timo Maas has been serving up big room techno for decades, but at the same time has offered deeper minimal for the likes of Joris Voorn’s Rejected and Sasha’s Last Night on Earth. Here he works with This And That and Mobilee man Basti Grub on ‘I Like to Dance’ and they keep it stripped back, with curious synths wrapping round skeletal house drums that work you into a state of hypnosis. It’s creepy backroom material for the afterhours and is brilliantly unusual.

Joeski has roots that go way back to the earliest house parties of New York. He’s DJed with all the heroes and released his expertly swung sounds on labels like Defected and Nervous Records. Here he serves up ‘Return of the Sax Attack’, a steamy and deep cut track with loose percussion and the sort of fluttering sax line that will get hands in the air and whoops from the crowd. It’s full of old-school soul and makes this a sure-fire anthem.

Last of all are Italian pair Proudly People, who debuted on Moon Harbour last year after tunes on Bouq. and a residency at Sankeys Ibiza. Their ‘Morning Light’ is a sensuous house jam that drips with tension thanks to the diva vocal, fluttering snares and driving drums and hits. It’s a perfectly infectious bit of dancing music that has a spiritual vibe and huge impact.

Once again here Moon Harbour have brought out the best of a diverse selection of talents.