Phasen & Refurb: Market Street EP
5 and Dime Recordings
Ryan Parmer (aka Phasen) pairs up with Refurb, who contributed a remix of “Deep Tides” to the 2011 Phasen EP Sunshine, for three smooth deep house originals on their Market Street EP. “Off the Cuff” immediately sets the EP's tone with its luscious vibe: soulful female vocal accents and echo-drenched synthetic radiance inhabit the tune's upper layers, while a chunky bass pulse and buoyant house groove take care of the low end. Helped along by shotgun claps and a strutting groove, “Wily” swings deliciously—even when its creators occasionally drench its jacking pulse in synthetic sparkle—, while “Lofty” adds the smooth drawl of an MC's “Ladies and gentlemen” to the tune's midtempo groove.
On the remix front, Loz Goddard slows the tempo of “Wily” ever so slightly to maximize its silky and sensual side before building up its funkier dimension with a steamy flow of hi-hats and bass thunder. Loco Records founders Karol XVII & MB Valence also appear to give “Off the Cuff” a bumping, stripped-down makeover that provides perhaps the EP's trippiest and funkiest moments. Market Street clearly argues that after earlier flirtations with IDM and ambient forms, the Orlando, Florida-born Parmer's hit pay dirt in concentrating on deep house. Without question, the material he's crafted with Refurb on this thirty-one-minute EP goes down ever-so-easily.October 2012