2DeepSoul: Mood Sync
Yore Records

Yore Records has been rather quiet of late, its last release being the mid-2013 twelve-inch Bicycle Love by label runner Andy Vaz, which makes this new three-tracker even more welcome than it would be under normal circumstances. It's the first appearance on the label by the Edinburgh-based outfit 2DeepSoul, which counts Brad Peterson and Rai Scott as its members.

The two bring a wealth of experience to the project: Peterson's been DJing since the early ‘90s and since 1997 has appeared on labels such as MacIntosh Music, Moods and Grooves, and his own (now retired) imprint X-World Communications. His influences include deep house, Detroit techno, and ‘90s UK electronic music, and his affection for ‘60s-‘70s jazz comes through in Mood Sync's earthier moments, with congas audible in a couple of tracks and a greasy organ solo surfacing in another. Like Peterson, Scott established herself as a DJ before issuing her first release (under the Serendipity name) on Berlin's Mixomat Recordings in 2008 and following it up with outings on Inner Shift Music and Minuendo Recordings. She also shares with Peterson a love for Detroit techno as well as early Chicago and UK house.

The opening cut “Intrinsic” spotlights everything that makes 2DeepSoul's sound so appealing—a breezily swinging house groove, synth treatments that lend the music a dreamily atmospheric quality, a bass pulse lightly tinged with acid flavour, and a main synth melody that warbles like some lazer beamed in from some distant galaxy. Best of all, the cut draws together elements from a number of genres but does so in a way that feels seamless. A little more straightforward by comparison are “Flow Theory,” which derives its impetus from a chugging electro-house groove and the aforementioned organ solo, and “Power,” which brings the duo's dreamier side to the forefront in the tune's enveloping production and warm deep house vibe. That they are relatively straightforward doesn't make them any less satisfying on listening grounds, however. For those familiar with the Yore catalogue, 2DeepSoul's release will likely register as classic Yore material as well as a fine addition to the label's discography.

April 2014