UPFRONTBEATS

The much lauded No.19 Music serves up another excellent all Canadian affair for its next EP: behind it is producer & label co-owner Nitin, with remixes from live specialist The Mole and label boss Jonny White aka Art Department who serves up his own hypnotic take on things.

No.19 Music has been going back to its roots recently, bringing to the fore a steady stream of incredible underground music from Toronto’s sons & daughters. 2016 closed out with the standout single, ‘Full Circle’ from Art Department in collaboration with AD/D, seeing support across the board for the return of Jonny White’s much loved moniker. However it is the long standing partnership of White & Nitin that is the true central pillar of the No.19 story, and it’s the latter that offers up here what is almost certainly his most impressive work to date.

Nitin has spent 20 years deeply immersed in music, working as a DJ, producer, label owner and promoter. He has a singular style that is fresh and forward thinking, fusing the deeper elements of house and techno. As a DJ he has traversed the globe, playing everywhere from fabric to Panorama Bar, Warung to Output (NYC).

Kicking off this heavweight package is the original of ‘Sunday Grey’, a beautifully atmospheric track where rolling drums have you swaying as gentle synths pan left and right. A backdrop of subtle vinyl crackle sounds like waves breaking and adds to the soothing effect whilst the crisp perc and dangling hi hats suck you further into the mix. Some tender and heartfelt chords gently join the picture in the second half and mark this one out as truly beautiful.

In the accomplished remix from leading producer and label boss Art Department, things are more direct and energetic. The drums are big and rubbery, the hi hats rip up the groove and the synths are rounded and bulbous. It’s a masterfully menacing version with cosmic keys adding colour and finishing it in style. Wagon Repair and Perlon man and master live technician The Mole then gets to work by layering in waify synths, hiccuping drums and plenty of rich textures and intricate details that make for an infectious micro-groove.

Last of all, Nitin’s absorbing ‘Black Sand Beach’ is a soft and lush deep house affair with resonant hits, pinging drums and droning pads that are propulsive yet perfectly smooth and serene.

This is a compelling and highly effective EP that shows Nitin for the true production talent that he is and is another signifier of the excitement building around the No.19 label once again.

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