VARIOUS / LAID

Laid Compilation

Genre: TECHNO / HOUSE

MP3
FLAC

Boomkat Product Review:

When Dial launched Laid back in 2008, we couldn't quite see how it was going to distinguish itself from its parent label. But over the last three years it has: whereas Dial is about a very European, at times almost gothic romanticism, Laid offers a more grooving deep house sound with an explicit debt to the US - the presence of Michigan super-hero Rick Wade on the roster is telling. Yep, slick, sensuous deep house doesn't come much better than Laid product, and this compilation takes on a journey through the highlights in the catalogue to date. Lowtec's 'Use Me' sets the tone, all dreamy synth progressions, discreetly jazzy keys, squelched chords and pucked 4/4 rhythm. 'Precious Hall' is the kind of mellow midnight jam that Lawrence can make in his sleep, and yet it's still vastly more stylish and engaging than anything his legion imitators can muster, while in 'Blame' John Roberts offloads the kind of deceptively simple, funked-up club cruiser that made his Glass Eights LP so essential. Jamal Moss-approved Macello Napoletano lays down the gospel with 'Electronic Atmosphere', smoked-out keys riding rough-hewn drums, but the biggest killers come from Kassem Mosse and Black Jazz Consortium. BJC's 'Applied Vibes' ain't nothing new, sure, but it's a track that's steeped in secret knowledge and when the creeping melody is stripped away to reveal the square-jawed bassline beneath it, we challenge you not to lose your sh*t. Mosse's 'Untitled' is a 10-minute epic and every bit as electrifying as we've come to expect from one of contemporary dance music's most consistent and inspired producers. The groove is just so sticky and irresistible, charging forward on a rolling, tom-heavy rhythm inspired by the Chicago masters but invested with a rugged bass-thump that tells you why Mosse is so revered by the likes of Joy O and Instra:mental, and a melodic architecture as dizzingly psychedelic as it is beguilingly pretty. With further contributions from Rick Wade, Rndm, Smallpeople and Christopher Rau, Laid Compilation is a really, really strong set.

MP3 Release (10)