Maris - My Little Rousse

Maris is a prestigious name on the underground house/techno scene, with a background as a sound technician and musician, he has a solid grounding in the world of composing and producing music.
The title track sets the tone with a vibe that somehow manages to feel languid and insistent at the same time. Chattering snares punctuate the undulating, dub bass, sharp hi-hats cutting away at the brooding undercurrents. Haunting pianos slowly come into focus, providing an emotive counterbalance to the track's mechanical, artificial backbone, with subtle shakers brought into the mix later on to add some gentle energy. Mass Digital on the remixes doing another great versions with lovely harmonies and floor vision of whirring sounds and textures gives brief respite.

Joajud works with a similar balance of textures, getting into its swing via triple kick drum patterns, miraculously low sub bass and widely panned slivers of melodies which create a pulsing, hypnotic atmosphere. A dizzying breakdown full of whirring sounds and textures gives brief respite, before old skool snare patterns drop into to add another layer of intensity. Maris friend Holly North serves up a supremely deep bassline groove that threatens to erupt into an groove frenzy in brief, teasing moments, with sustained pad textures bringing an element of tension to the proceedings.