It's hard to argue with the legitimacy of a mix series whose debut mixes were laid out by CJ Bolland and Carl Craig with subsequent releases by names such as Four Tet, Tiga, Juan Maclean and Soul Clap. !K7 Records managed to not only keep my interest but raise my anticipation for their latest release, tenfold, upon my hearing that Hotflush boss Scuba was at the helm.
As one of the most tied-in tastemakers around, my mind quickly wandered as to what Boiler Room rips Scuba would be able to secure for official release. Without fail, he managed to make every Youtube digger's wet dream come true.
Featuring 32 tracks in all, the mix features seven exclusive debuts by DBridge, Sigha, Beaumont and Addison Groove; as well as personal favorites by Scuba, and Instra:Mental's Jon Convex and Boddika on which I'll go into further detail.
Like picking a favorite child, finding a favorite in this sea of masterpieces is no easy task, but I'm going to have to land on Scuba's "M.A.R.S." Using some of the best percussion samples I've heard in a long time, in typical Scuba fashion, he keeps the syncopation interesting without falling into the trap of muddling the percussion the way many of his peers do. The Detroit-influenced synth stabs give the song a jacked up house groove that straddles the line of paying homage to classic sounds yet sounding incredibly fresh and restrained.
Instra:Mental's Boddika has been teasing us with "Acid Battery" on his Soundcloud page for a minute. Double kick hits and reverbed claps back a classic acid bassline that gives way to rising arps that make you want to take one of everything.
Not to be outdone by his studio partner, Jon Convex gives us his most dance floor driven song to date in "Streetwalk." One of those rare tracks that's dark yet playable, Shadow Dancer-esque robotic vocal samples fill in an almost tech house-like backing track that I've had on repeat all day.
I can't stress how highly recommended this album is for any fan of dance music: you'll be hard pressed not to crate a few songs off it. Go cop the songs individually and in a continuous mix wherever you buy your music.
