- With his laid-back deep house style, it's tempting to characterize Johannes Paluka as a German Jimpster. His productions are often a little more skewed than the British stalwart, but there's the same presence and soulful sheen. His return as Iron Curtis to Hudd Traxx—scene of one his early triumphs, 2010's Stansfield EP—provides further proof.
Across its duration, the emotive factor on "Care" is turned up to 11—whether it's the beefy piano chords, searing synths or ornate bassline. In contrast, "Sing Along With Your Friends" delivers a more splintered take on deep house, its muted soul vocal and offbeat handclaps preventing it from heading to too lush a pasture, an approach maintained by "Shouting & Screaming." Despite the pillowy synths that envelope it, it's the EP's toughest, most pared down track, knocked off its stride by spasmodic squelches and Space Invader pulses. Paluka then flips the script on "Lasga's Return," its lurching broken-beat ending up as a melancholic riff on '90s neo soul. It's tantalising glimpse of what Iron Curtis could do if he stepped away from four-to-the-floor more often.
TracklistA1 Care
A2 Sing Along With Your Friends
B1 Shouting & Screaming
B2 Lasgas's Return