DJ Qu - Raw 7

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  • Years since they left Underground Quality, set up their own labels (and, in some cases, moved abroad), the group of friends we once credited with New York's house renaissance are still on a roll. DJ Qu, like his fellow Tri-State natives Levon Vincent and Joey Anderson, seems to get better and better over time, further honing a sound that's as shadowy as it is expressive. Following an armful of still-fresh twelves from the past few years, Raw 7, the latest record on his own Strength Music Recordings, is yet another inspired EP in a streak that shows no sign of slowing. The production style here is classic Qu: dark and melodic, punchy and smudged. "Untitled (Hi-Life)" has bright hand percussion and surprisingly cheery synths, like a more subdued cousin to Omar-S's "Here's Your Trance, Now Dance!!" "Soma" is darker and dubbier, with a frosty keyboard melody and voices floating in the murk. The title track, a bit of full-on techno with mean synths and gusts of claps, is less charismatic, but by the time you get there you should already be sold.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Untitled (Hi-Life) B1 Soma B2 Raw 7
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