Hitting multiple milestones with his "One Side of the Underground" series, Rick Pier O'Neil returns with a fourth volume that includes three originals and remixes from UK and Greek mainstays.

A celebrated trio responsible for a host of high-profile releases on an array of labels including their own Kunai Records and Mistique Music imprints, "The Sinner" sees Rick Pier O'Neil and Michael & Levan and Stiven Rivic join forces on a deep and dark progressive offering that revels in rolling bass groove and driving rhythm. A rich array of melodic layers evolve effortlessly through the piece, swimming across the left-right spectrum as breathy vocal phrases juxtapose against an overdriven bass motif with sinister authority. "Votan" continues the driving beat of the opener adding intricate percussive cadence and hypnotic bassline power. White-noise washes add a sense of space before of reverb-laden and delay-drenched motif joins a swathe of textured pads. Pitch-bent analogue bass notes add further intrigue in the breakdown and third movement to devasting effect in a wonderfully atmospheric track. The immediate dancefloor rhythms of "Ixchel" provide the perfect framework for light and airy melodic phrases to sweep across the mid-range with ease. Coupled to a smooth and free-flowing lead line and syncopated arpeggio, the track is a cleverly orchestrated piece of sonic craftsmanship.

A regular on Proton Music with a raft of original music including 2017's full-length album, "In the Ether", James Monro has been dining at underground dance music's top table for many years. 2013's "Fonik", 2015's "Nectar" and January 2020's "Drift" EP have all highlighted Monro's remarkable attention to detail and devastating dancefloor power, honed from decades spent behind the decks at clubs and festivals across the globe. Returning to the label after February's remix of Subconscious Tales, James Monro has taken "Manipulation" on an extraordinary progressive breaks trip that acts as a time-machine to the halcyon days of the genre with its pulsating and rasping bassline and symphonic landscape that delights with texture, energy and emotion in abundance. Cleverly reinterpreting O'Neil's original, James Monro has succeeded in reinventing a sound that will resonate with a huge range of listeners through its stuttered breakbeat rhythms, raw power and melodic intrigue.

Savvas is another artist requiring little introduction to the Proton Music and Particles faithful. The Chicago born, Greek based artist has featured regularly on the latter since August 2017's remix of Michael A, before September 2019's "Mindfulness" EP saw a pair of originals accompanied by remixes from Imran Khan and Izzet. A single remix of Erdi Irmak's "Nothing Lasts" represents the Savvas contribution to Proton Music as he now follows up with a smooth and hypnotic reinterpretation of "Earth Mover". A framework of grooved bassline and ticking percussive groove combine effortlessly with O'Neil's original elements before a glassy and delayed arpeggiated motif ripples across the 9-minute track. Building through layers of counterpoint melody and sumptuous effects, the result is a brilliantly contemplative remix.

Directed by Jay Epoch
A&R by James Warren
Mastered by Rick Pier O'Neil, Grant Collins, Cid Inc.
Design by Ben Mautner
Text by James Warren

One Side of the Underground, Vol. 4

Buy on Beatport

Rick Pier O'Neil, Michael & Levan and Stiven Rivic - The Sinner (Original Mix)

Roman. Age 32. Electronic music lover. Peace!

Leaves in Greece...  
Progressive Psy Trance... 
Dark Progressive House...
Techno...
Minimal...
Psybient...

We're a family of electronic music makers + lovers.  Proton is a radio station (www.protonradio.com) and powers distro for 2K+ indie electronic labels (https://protonrad.io/Label-FAQ).

Say hello: info@protonradio.com

It’s not progressive if it doesn’t push music forward: this is the position held by KSTEELE. Be it the next track in his mix or his ambitions out on the horizon, the Denver DJ always keeps it real and keeps it moving.

KSTEELE is the forerunner of #properPROG — less a genre and more a philosophy of sonic exploration. His refusal to conform has yielded an unpredictable style that holds captive house, techno and trance fans alike in rooms like Temple Denver, Bar Standard, Club Vinyl, and Meow Wolf Denver. Only a few short years into his electronic music career, he’s beginning to rapidly accelerate.

It’s a rare sort of confidence that allows KSTEELE to rise above the tribalism that plagues modern dance music. It only makes sense, though, as he’s no stranger to going against the grain.

Born Kalib Steele in Colorado Springs, he first fell in love with trance at boarding school when he found “For An Angel” by Paul van Dyk on a friend’s iPod Nano. He played the track on repeat every day. Even without access to a community who shared his newfound passion, he then explored much of the electronic music landscape on his own before graduating high school.

2013 marked a turning point as Steele touched down in Denver and immediately got involved with Global Dance, the city’s largest electronic music event brand. Doors opened to a world even bigger than the one he envisioned when he heard the otherworldly melodies of his formative influences. He started out as a promoter and quickly worked his way up to A&R.

It wasn’t until much later that Steele entertained the idea of performing himself. By 2017 he was constantly dazzling established artists in the trance-progressive arena with his knowledge of cutting-edge tracks on obscure labels. After enough respected tastemakers pushed him to take up DJing, he finally made his way to the other side of the decks.

KSTEELE debuted at Denver club Bar Standard in December of 2019. He was billed as the opener, but by the time his set ended he had a crowd that any local DJ would envy. More importantly, he demonstrated to all the right people in the city that his passion for music had manifested as a talent for music curation.

The years since have been kind to KSTEELE. His résumé now includes gigs at Club Vinyl, Larimer Lounge, Knew Concious, Temple Denver, Your Mom's House, Milk Bar, Global Dance Festival, X BAR, Meow Wolf Denver, Disco Pussy Las Vegas and both the Denver and Las Vegas iterations of Techno Taco Tuesday. 
He has played support for such well-known artists as Tinlicker, Jody Wisternoff, Simon Doty, Cristoph, Matt Lange, Charles D, John Monkman, Hannes Bieger, Grum, Moon Boots, Shay DeCastro, Qrion, CRi, Estiva and Matt Fax. KSTEELE also boasts strong ties with Denver promoter TheHundred Presents, Knew Conscious, and techno/progressive label JourneyDeep Records.

KSTEELE has covered this much ground in such a short period of time because he’s building something bigger than himself. It’s not lost on him that he’s among a small handful of Black artists active in the trance-progressive range of the electronic music spectrum. He wants his success to lead the way for others in his shoes who might not otherwise see a place for themselves in this community.

At the same time, KSTEELE attests that proper progressive is not a creative range at all. He believes that every piece of music is unique in itself, and whatever meanings we give to the words that become genres will never measure up to the sounds themselves. His drive to unearth a diverse array of forward-thinking gems is what makes his music progressive. His seamless mixing, stage presence, and immediate connection with the audience is what makes it unquestionably proper.

Listen closely enough to the moments that make up a KSTEELE set and you can hear the omen of a not-so-distant future. One thing is for sure: There’s no telling where the #properPROG movement will take him next.

Progressive/Tech/Deep House music lover :)
I always try to promote my beloved artists & share their music with influence to social media...
Head open always for unknown so far (for me) new DJ's playing my lovely kind of sounds!

Inquiries 💌: kristineprogressive@gmail.com