UPFRONTBEATS

Decay lead from the front once more with Decade Made 7, another vital various artists EP which marks the label’s 7 year anniversary and features red hot underground talents Mihai Popoviciu, James Dexter, Christian Burkhardt and Ray Mono.

The goal of Decay Records has always been to push quality, hypnotic, dubby grooves without focusing on trends or hype, something they have done consistently since their launch in 2013 and continue to do here with their 7th birthday release, Decay Made 7.

Kicking off this latest VA from the label is Romanian Mihai Popoviciu, considered one of the most innovative eastern European producers of electronic music today. He opens with ‘Biology’, a bubbly, deep cut groove with slick hits gliding up top. It’s a track full of warmth that sinks you into a glazed-eye reverie. Dessous, Lefroom and Inermu associate James Dexter is a young but vital talent who represents the new wave of artists that are simmering in the London deep house underground. His ‘And Then’ has long legged, dubbed out kick drums that make for a cavernous groove, whilst smeared, warped chords fill in the spaces and ensure an ever-headier atmosphere as things roll on.

Christian Burkhardt has long been at the heart of the freshest tech house, putting out his well-designed loops on mainstay labels. Here he serves up ‘Quanta’, an icy-cool track with tripped out sonic details and sci-fi effects that make for real mind music. Last of all, former Mono_Cult resident and now Fuse and Moxy Music associate Ray Mono brings his expert minimal to the EP with ‘Uncut.’ It is a tough, bumping cut with razor sharp design and a pristine sense of late night funk finished with neon synth colours.

These are four perfectly designed and infectious tracks that are both slick and compelling.