- What happens when your side project outstrips your regular day job? It's a question that Einzelkind has most likely pondered after seeing the response to their house moniker, La Peña. A solid mix of rough-and-ready New York house with a dash of deep house atmospherics, the duo's releases came along at just the right moment.
The duo's third release continues the sound: "Free from Love" is a driving number supported by a melodic drum loop and confusion-is-sex vocal samples mostly set up to reinforce the beat. Simple and to the point, it's prime Peña: A DJ tool that bumps. "Keep Movin'" does much the same, except this time with a filtered "groovin', keep on movin'" sample that only rarely stumbles into the light before being pushed back down again. Meanwhile, "Going Down" breaks out the congas and "Tool 2" is explicit in its aims.
It's easy to see why DJs love La Peña's 12-inches so much. These are tunes built for minimal techno heads that are moving into more soulful territory. A starter kit for nu-deep housers not ready for tracks that are too soulful. Hard and soft at the same time, La Peña split the difference beautifully.
Tracklist A1 Free From Love
A2 Keep Movin
B1 Going Down
B2 Tool 2