Professor Inc returns to boe with a four track EP of low slung heady house vibes, thumping drums and searing soundscapes. Punchy 4/4 rhythms and throaty chords of Crazy grace the Aside where neat percussion sections break up dubby sweeps and deft ambient samples. The rolling loose beats and haunting synths movements of Undergound sit nicely inside and offer a pumping club cut. The glorious strings of Life After Asylum play nicely with vox synths, weird samples and some weighty low end. Rounding out the EP, Put Up the Vibe skips and swings with fizzy stabs, modulated percussions and warm grooving bass.

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While their sporadic appearance remains a frustration, it's hard to find fault with Boe Recordings' Halal Prepared series of EPs. This third installment of the series, which lands 12 months after it's' predecessor, contains another quarter of high quality deep house jams. The real highlights - to our ears, at least - are the two tracks that doff a cap to classic Detroit techno, whilst keeping their feet firmly rooted in deep house. Both "Star Struck" by Chicago Deep and Havantepe's "Plane Waves" capture the retro-futurist spirit and stargazing electronics associated with the Motor City perfectly. Elsewhere, keep an eye out for Taelue's "Desolate Dreams", which offers a bittersweet trip into ultra-deep house territory.
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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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Following a sequence of brand new joiners to the label in 2012, boe presents one of the UK’s rising stars on the underground house music scene in Meschi. Having had previous successes on great labels such as Lunar Disko and the ever impressive Swiss imprint, Meschi is also famed for his live analogue jam sets full of action and improvisation. The opening track Walker is a modern industrial piece, drenched in cavernous reverb and cushioned by rich bass frequencies. It’s sonically rich and elegant, introduced with shuffling delayed toms, syncopated baseline and off beat kick. It isn’t long before signature 707 hats drop in to the mix and a warm pad envelops the harmony. At the breakdown the tension increases with a fiery moog arpeggiator sweeping its way in and out to create a massive crescendo. Meschi finishes things off whilst taking the mood in a different direction; a tip toeing piano riff tinkles its way into the mix where the arpeg leaves off to soften things into a glittering finale. Walker is a track fit for the biggest systems and testing those aural boundaries. Long Days is a pumping Chicago techno cut with a smooth but punchy 808 kick and gritty fuzzy bass filling up that lower spectrum. Snappy hi hats and claps, melodic pads and strings fill up those emotive sequences taking the listener back to late 80s Chicago and loving every second. The Ghost (vinyl only) is a quality DJ cut in the Chicago vibe with a bouncing square bass and tight 707 percussion. It’s a peak time stormer for lovers of that classic sound bridging the soul of house and the energy of early techno.

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The last release of the year reveals a significant capture for boe in the form of Soul 223, a seasoned producer with releases on Delsin and Souljazz under his belt as well as having a significant pedigree releasing as Stasis on Peacefrog in the Ninetees. Eastern Promise is a fine balanced EP covering deep sample based jams, spacey disco grooves and sunshine laden strings. Age Of Peace is a quirky cut with loose shakers and light percussion over a slap bass and soft warm chords. It has a catchy harmony that seems to pick up energy with only subtle changes. It’s topped off with some crazy synth FX lead work to round into something reminiscent of Herbert and Moodymann combined. Wide Open Spaces is well textured and deep. A gorgeously put together bassline, sweeping chords cushioned by cavernous reverb and crunchy disco beats make this a real late night groover. As an added twist the cut breaks down to finish and morphs into a hip hop skit to mix things up a bit. On the flip side, Hand In Hand is an instant Balearic classic with loose drums and a string pattern drenched in sunshine and golden sand. The strings sweep in and out as subtle voice samples add depth to the harmony. In Motion is a simple but incredible catchy rolling groover. It’s relentless bongo pattern and snappy snares and kick are infections to the core as the drums roll on and the sweeping chord stabs come in. It’s non-stop and psychedelic, it pulls you in with the faintest of effort and you finally come to as the track eases out into the fade leaving you wanting more. The EP finishes off with the Hand In Hand (Reprise), using the same strings as its parent cut but with more FX to make it a great DJ tool.
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With no rest for the wicked boe introduces a second debut for the label in 2012 and a special double feature from a new alias of a very promising Ukranian talent. The First Transition by G-Transition is a super deep journey through the cosmos, featuring shimmering pianos, rumbling drums and a touch of dark energy thrown in the reactor. There Are No Tech House Zombies In Heaven is a sultry and subtly swung slow deep house track. G-Transition jams delicately and lovingly with piano chords that tip-toe lightly across a stripped down punchy drum rhythm and evolving pads. It’s a wonderful piece that pulls the listener away through the clouds and out of the stratosphere into deep space where time passes by in an instant. Morning Sequence is more groove-orientated than its partner track on the A-Side. The sparkly shakers and crunchy claps give it a disco beat that is complimented by the delicate pads and layered bass. The track moves in and out of a neat arrangement and a twinkling plucked lead is filtered and morphs around the essence of the groove and additional guitar sounds. It’s a perfect cut for those warm up moments in the summer sun. Doom’s Joke In The Action adds some darkness to the EP. It’s a menacing but melodious cut that brings a bit of seriousness any dance floor. Booming kick drums drive the track on as G-Transition works the piano in a minimal but aggressive way. It’s a track with meaning and feeling that would serve dark places with large sound systems very well late into the early ours of a twisted morning. Smoke Green (K-Hole Dub) is a delicate but intricate piece of minimal house music with warm stabs and sequenced synthesiser rhythmic effects that bounce around the aural space. A fuzzy bass give the track real body whilst keeping the cut restrained. Additional guitars and gated distortion effects sound like meteors zapping past a cockpit staring into the twinkling blanket of the cosmos.

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