For their third release Catapult Records follow the Organ Grinders New Age People & Obsession with another taste of retro house this time from Ratcatcher. Bubbledub and Nightlife are two classy house groovers that sits somewhere between strictly rhythm circa 94 and Keri Chandler in vibe. Bubbledub has a punchy bassline synched to some classy housey chords with a mean 808 groove. Nightlife has a classic vintage feel with crisp drums and distinctive strings throughout. The Ratcatcher started his production and Dj career as one part of the ‘Bigger Than Barry’ residents Chesus and Rodski. From there is was a logical progression to form the outfit CRST; a group with celebrated releases on labels such as Doc Daneeka’s Ten Thousand Yen, Car Crash Set, No Hats No Hoodies, Donga’s Well Rounded Records and Herve’s Deep Thrills. Ratcatcher has now embarked on a solo career, which has included a collaboration with Doc Daneeka on PTN(Ramp),remixes for the likes of Crystal Fighters and Cosmic Revenge and a residency at at Dalston’s infamous Rhythm Talk Party. Ratcatcher is launching his solo release career with an E.P. for Catapult Records and has a release scheduled with Granholme Recordings. More

Cromie's bubbling, spacious house sound first drew critical acclaim last year on the sold out 12" Vines / Pyrex (Peach001), a collaboration with fellow LA producer Sage Caswell. Now, Peach is thrilled to present Cromie’s solo debut EP Inner Knows, a revved up set of idiosyncratic dancefloor weapons. How to Stop a Bulldozer, a rotating helix of synth stabs, warped vocals and low-end torque warrants it's epic title. Elsewhere, Flan functions like a potent concentrate of 22nd century funk. Inner Knows kicks off side B with a swirling late night house jam that flirts with the deeper corners of the genre. Another fixture in LA's electronic scene, Suzanne Kraft (Running Back, ESP Institute, Pharoahs) closes out the record with a cubist reading of Flan. On his solo debut, Cromie's creative depth and attention to detail belies his freshness to the game. Regular sets at LA’s Club Called Rhonda and various underground happenings in the sprawling Southland have taught him some valuable lessons. If he can deliver this many distinct sounds on a single record, we can’t wait to hear what’s next.

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After recently inaugurating its run with a crop of tunes aimed squarely at the dancefloor, Brooklyn's newly launched Peach label—an imprint headed up by TURRBOTAX® co-founder Rem Koolhaus—has shifted gears on its second release, broadening its vision beyond the club and offering up a pair of wonderfully immersive tunes from Earth House Hold. The Earth House Hold moniker may not be familiar to everyone, but the man behind the name—veteran producer bvdub (a.k.a. Brock Van Wey)—has been notably walking the line between deep techno and ambient music for nearly a decade. And while most mentions of Van Wey's name almost inevitably lead to talk of his highly prolific nature—he's issued something like 20 full-length albums since 2007—his output as Earth House Hold has been far less frequent. It's ostensibly his "house" project, something that can be traced back to his days as a regular in San Francisco's deep-house scene during the '90s. It was an influential time for Van Wey, and though his music makes no attempt to revive that sound—the aesthetic is unmistakably his own—the era has certainly left its mark on him. That said, there's nothing "retro" at work here. Both "Back Where I Belong" and "A Little Late for That Now" clock in at nearly 12 minutes, and find Van Wey constructing a delicate lattice of shimmering, crystal-clear melodies and soulful, slow-burning vocals atop a slow-motion house skeleton. Without question, the music is "deep," but there's an undeniable—albeit subtle—pop current running through these compositions. It may be adventurous to say that the tracks recall the sultry glow and hypnotic excellence of artists like Sade, but Van Wey's vocal-heavy approach harkens back to a time when soul and R&B singers could actually sing, and his tunes carry a similar emotional wallop. Someone could easily get lost in the expanse of Earth House Hold's compositions, but even if that happens, it's a safe bet that they won't be in any hurry to find their way back out again.


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