As a longtime fan and ardent supporter of Edinburgh minimal supremos Lemon Herb Records, I was delighted to have been asked to feature on their 15th VA release, Membrane Wall [LHR015].
My contribution to the project is titled ‘Valentine Day Salami’ and is one of 12 original compositions that comprehensively span the underground house gamut.
The digital VA, Membrane Wall [LHR015], is yet another freshly squeezed, tangy sounding melange of contemporary minimal, micro and deep flavours which begin with Yayha’s ‘Raag’. The Marrakesh based DJ and live artist opens proceedings by weaving a low-slung groove with outré vocals aside a loosely woven pattern of toms and claps. A subtle shift in tempo sees Seattle party starter KJ3 enter with ‘Crzyluv’, employing a stuttering, unpredictable mix of far out vocal, crisp percussion and swooshing melodics. For my own composition (YAMA Music), ‘Valentine Day Salami’, I concoct a slightly more sinister, but still oh so playful, groove leaning heavily into the kind of warbling low-end and quirky bleepery for which many of my efforts within the UK minimal movement lend their core sound to. A thumping bass and brittle synth then pave the way for JohnnyJohnny Records founder, Modat who whisks a dizzying clutch of vocals into the backdrop of his Detroit house leaning, ‘Pedal to Whatever’. A panting-like overtone introduced at the opening of Alex Gruv’s ‘Lemon Haze’ remains a permanent fixture throughout his earthy, rugged but somehow cosmic VA cut which closes to a heady whirl of spaced-out sounds. Immersive and proggy are two words to describe Callio’s ‘Where Are We Going’, with the Indian native dialling down on the more off-centre ambience and driving the VA more toward heads down, after-party territory in the most unassumingly smooth style. At Membrane Wall’s halfway mark, Alex Mogutin arrives with ‘Okanisman’ which blends deep house resonance with short-circuiting synth effects across a twisting, dream like soundscape. Offering beats of a more tech-house nature, Octave leads the charge with ‘Let Me Be Your Best Friend’, providing a rumbling shot of melancholy atop a series of chimes, strings and sweetly vulnerable lyric content. A fierce garage intro opens Apollo’s ‘Sakura’ which features an assertive drum and bass combo that pulses to a whispering vocal arrangement and pan-pipe like undercurrent. As the VA bumps towards its close, Anhel Vladyslav is on hand with ‘Fluir’, which bubbles with watery, submerged overtones aside a looping, razor-edged synth and tumbling percussive elements. France’s Basic 96 certainly doubles down on the romininal vibes with ‘Soft Reset’ with a rhythm that plods along lethargically whilst remaining assertive amongst a cool choice of sparsely placed drum patterns. To close the the 15th release from the Lemon Herb tastemakers is Eduardo whose track ‘M’s Dream’ burns with Latin intensity from the get-go, but, a shift in transition towards the track’s latter stages adds something of a more breaks laden, deep tech conviction to close the EP with gusto.
The full ‘Membrane Wall’ [LHR015] VA is available to purchase now via the official Lemon Herb Records bandcamp.
So quench your thirst for the taste of contemporary minimal with the most citric centric sounds you would have heard this year.