2013 is the year of milestones for the ever understated and under the radar boe recordings; the label for those that know. This year the imprint turns a grand 5 years old and celebrates a 20th release in the form of BOE XX, a limited 12” coming on commemorative marbled vinyl only. Fans of the previous celebratory release BOE X will be familiar with the format of 4 artists and 4 track each having its own style and groove but easily slotting into the boe ethos of preserving the integrity of the past and pushing forwards into the open realms of future house music. The a-side plays host to seriously hot property, Outboxx with “Reflections”. Having been lauded for their lush deep house sounds by none other than FACT Magazine and Resident Advisor, the Bristol duo contribute a more up front dance floor smashing cut that combines the funk of DiY records and the Detroit synths of Planet E. Comprising of stripped down hats and a warm chord progression, the track teases with the looped vocal build-up and into a fuzzy bouncy baseline. At the break the tracks moves into another dimension as the Detroit synth lead swoops down and back up into the stratosphere, gelling harmoniously into an uplifting finale. Sat snugly next to Outboxx is Perseus Traxx returning to boe after his sought after limited release “Misspent Emotions” and as half of Nite Vision with the “Now Is The Time” Double 12”. This time though, he is armed with the haunting and delicate vocals of Lucy Barker, whose lyrics convey true emotion whilst complementing the rolling industrial house groove of Perseus Traxx’s production “Closer”. The bass is heavy and the beats are punchy but light, allowing Lucy’s voice to cut through the mix and pull the listener in that little bit “Closer”. The first track on the flip is from a very promising new artist with his first vinyl release. Machinesleet is his name and loosely swung beats and sonic soundscapes is his game. “Flavour Replacement” is a pure modern club track, a huge square baseline so reminiscent of late 80s gets a 21st production touch, pushing envelopes like no other. The kick is thumping and the sparse hi end percussion skips lovingly over the relentless slow house groove. It’s could be described as Floating Points as much as it is Mr Fingers but one thing is clear, it’s going to damage some dance floors and big systems. Last but most definitely not least on the EP is Kammerton with “Dedicate All My Love”. Having covered many sounds with aplomb on Pro-Tez, NWX1 and Housewax, Kammerton adds another house string to his bow (or should we say “boe”?) with a rolling groovy sample based cut with a soft vocal delicately places in the background and syncopated piano riffs tinkling in the foreground. The track subtly moves in and out of phases, but one thing will be constant, the catchy vocal will be rolling around your head the entire duration and you’ll be singing along and dancing around like a madman before you know it!
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