Motor City Drum Ensemble - Prayer.

Confrontations

Shake

Makèz have come a long way since they first sneaked into Amsterdam’s studio 80 at the age of 17 to hand over their demos to Dam Swindle. Those demos led to their debut EP ‘Different planets’on Heist in 2019 which gained major support from artists like Seth Troxler and Chez Damier. Quickly after, they signed two records on New York based label Let’s Play House. Fast forward two years, and here we are with their debut album.
 
‘City Of All’ shows a level of sophistication and matureness, effortlessly bridging genres across its thirteen cuts. You can feel the thought that has been put into this record, with tracks blending into each other as Makèz submerge themselves in their concept of accidental encounters, inclusiveness and what it means to live in a city like Amsterdam.  
 
On this album, Makèz bring together all the musical influences they’ve picked up in their life as music fans, clubbers, and art students. The jazz-funk of opening track ‘The Entrance’, feels breezy and casual, like freeform rhythms played in a jazz club soundcheck. Energy oozes from ‘Not So Different’, featuring the smooth vocals of LYMA. There’s a hint of the house-meets-R’n B vibe that made Anderson .Paak the star that he is now. Brilliantly funky, this song shows the talent of Makèz, who cleverly use pop & soul cues to create one of the album’s highlights. 
 
What follows is four cuts ranging from the syncopated Balearic funk of ‘Orbit’, the strings of title track ‘City Of All’, the organ-led, ‘Gonna Getya’ and the downbeat ‘Sonder’. Allysha Joy, as part of Melbourne Hip Hop collective 30/70, features on the deep and jazzy ‘Looking Up’.  If Makèz and Allysha are all looking up, it’s clear they’re seeing the same thing! These kindred spirits perfectly complement each other, the deep bass, warm harmonies and jazzy percussion prove to be a perfect foundation for Allysha’s rhymes.
 
Is it an album all about jazz and soul to listen to at home? Far from it. There are dance floor-oriented tracks, where the distorted filter funk of ‘Roselane’ featuring Fouk, proves to be a highlight along with what is arguably the heaviest cut of the album ‘Bent With Funk’.
 
In an EP context, these house tracks would surely do their work, but they really come to life in this album. No compromise has been made to storytelling and the house tracks all play their part while still standing their ground in a club. 
The expert production and smart arrangement gives this collection its casually funky feel.  On ‘City Of All’ Makèz showcase their remarkable talent for writing an album that goes to so many different places, but most of all, just really feels like home.

PREMIERE : Makèz - Feel The Same

Artist: Bauhouse
Label: Miura Records
Cat: #MIU045

Listen on YouTube: https://youtu.be/8UVRpYc57sE

Links:
@miurarecords
www.instagram.com/miura_records

PREMIERE: Bauhouse - Whole Lotta Groove [Miura]

Genius Of Time - Houston We Have A Problem (Original Mix)

From my latest EP 'Esoteric Audio Research' out on Organic Music: 
https://soundcloud.com/organic-music/flabaire-esoteric-audio-research-ep-org-010

(OUT ON ORGANIC MUSIC) Flabaire - Kemia Fever

Hometown Glory EP

Pre-Order

East Coast Groove Diamond | 12" vinyl on House of Unity Black

Tropic-non-tropic grooves from Jex Opolis and Roberto under the pseudonym Conga Radio, pushing bottom-heavy balearic and effervescent house music on NYC based label @good-timin.

Read more & buy: http://www.stampthewax.com/2016/07/11/premiere-conga-radio-right-beside-you
Listen on Youtube: bit.ly/conga-radio

Conga Radio - Right Beside You (STW Premiere)

3. OddJohn - I Feel Music

We are really glad to share with you this awesome premiere of @djfranckroger "Do It My Way" soon to be released on his own imprints @home-invasion-records

This track is the quintessence of groove: a rolling bassline, perfect drums and that touch of samples which provides the difference. Enjoy!

Motor City Drum Ensemble - Prayer.

Marijn Kreitz