NORM TALLEY Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Detroit legend Norm Talley calling his new EP Deep Essentials suggests that, somehow, everything he makes isn't deep and essential. But it is. Anyway, here are five more perfectly designed grooves that sink you into a warm, smoky basement and keep you there. 'Holla-Day' has those trademark sharp hi hats and rolling drums, 'One Track Mind' has a hypnotic synth loop you hope never ends and 'Deeptroitsrumental' is a fantastically rickety drum workout that is primed for dance floor action. 'D-Toolz' rounds out with a sense of edginess, the promise of a big techno breakout that never comes but keeps you locked in hope.

Review: You'll struggle to find any deeper or more alluring tracks in Norm Talley's catalogue than 'Powder', the wonderfully hypnotic, locked in and subtly spacey opener from the Motor City producer's 2011 EP on Mixmode, Tracks From The Asylum. It's a good thing, then, that Talley has decided to reissue the sought-after EP on his own label. The Detroiter doesn't put a foot wrong throughout, with the chugging, beatdown-inspired brilliance of 'Lost', which boasts some sublime piano solos, and the up-beat hustle of 'Private Party' being equally as essential as 'Powder'. Speaking of that track, Delano Smith's 'More Powder' version is also worth a listen, featuring as it does slightly bolder synth riffs and a tougher, techno-influenced groove.

Review: Recently Norm Talley launched a new label, Upstairs Asylum, and delivered a much-needed sequel to his superb 2011 EP on Mixmode, Tracks From The Asylum. A decade on from the record's original release, he's finally got around to producing a sequel. The native Detroiter predictably starts in fine fashion via 'Gonna Luv U', a chunky and locked-in house number rich in groovy bass, bold piano motifs, ear-cathing sax riffs and colourful P-funk samples, before heading ultra-deep via the beatdown-influenced haziness of 'Detroit Dubz'. 'In Your Soulz' sees him add energy-packed hand percussion and chiming lead lines to a bustling deep house beat, while 'Digital XTC (Detroit Mix)' is a spacey, hypnotic workout that sounds like it was tailor-made for dark warehouses in the hours approaching dawn.