MELANGE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: From 4Lux to Ten Thousand Yen, Earl Jeffers has been serving up plenty of upfront good time house music over the past few years, as well as steering the equally on point Chesus alias. Now he sidles over to the new Melange label with Byron The Aquarius in tow, and the sun kissed vibes are positively pouring out of the record grooves. "Eira" is where Byron flexes some on-point melodic input, laying down ludicrously rich keys to ramp up the soul status of this damn fine garage-y bumper. The "Demo Mix" of "Eira" resides on the flip and shows off a more stripped down, raw version that's no less satisfying on the ears.

Review: It's been a minute since we last heard from Earl Jeffers, the Cardiff-based artist who has been steadily making his mark in the house scene with a soulful style that calls back to some of the foundations of deep rooted Black house music from the UK. As such, it's significant to see him returning from a three year absence in collaboration with the imperious Kaidi Thatham. Their joint effort, 'The Essence', is a soaring, invigorating workout overflowing with Thatham's incredible musicianship front and centre. 'Higher' is a skipping, up for it garage house heater with raunchy organs and an infectious bounce, and it comes with an additional 'Alt Mix' which takes things a touch deeper for the late night crowd.

Review: Earl Jeffers has been doing some sterling work over the last few years, pushing a soul-enriched house sound from his own drops to collaborations with the likes of Byron The Aquarius and Henry Wu. He's back on his own label Melange, this time alongside the mighty K15, and as you can expect it's a record bursting with musicality, spirituality and boundless broken beat delights. From effervescent lead track "New Visions" to the sultry downtempo lull of "Propel Ahead" and on to the club-ready bump of "Take Flight", this is an EP that places both artists at the forefront of contemporary funk-laced, soulful house music.