We find it kind of hard to believe it’s been nearly three years since Brooklyn’s Octo Octa‘s debut effort Let Me See You was brought into the world in all its euphoric 90s steeped glory. It even managed to get dropped in the middle of Move D’s outstanding Boiler Room Berlin set, a testament to how good it is (it’s seriously amazing though). The label that brought us such joy, 100% Silk, has since built up an impressive arsenal of releases which fall somewhere in the spectrum of lush, raw house and more experimental house-structured drone and noise, an indicator of the label’s affiliation with now long-running San Francisco label Not Not Fun. Michael Bouldry-Morrison aka. Octo Octa falls firmly in the former end of the spectrum and with new release Cause I Love You adds to his catalogue of 100% Silk records with his now familiar class.
Stream: Octo Octa – Cause I Love You (100% Silk)
The title track opener is a straight up body mover. The chopped vintage house vocal lifts the track off the ground and into more heady dimensions whilst still providing a pulsating, suggestive tone to the track. The airy synth stabs give it a light euphoric feel but ultimately “Cause I Love You” explores a sexier realm than Octo Octa’s previous work. We’re ultimately provided with an exceptionally well executed tribute to deep house masters that’s hyped and tumultuous to bring out at the peak of the night. “So Lux”, while still keeping the EP firmly within the sphere of deep house with Rick Wade and Theo Parrish the obvious reference points, eases on the throttle. This is music made for summer nights when the sun sets a bit too late. “Give” is similarly laid-back and its hazy chords give it the lo-fi Balearic quality which incite memories of chillwave. The vocal guest spot from Raw Moans, who sounds a bit like Toro Y Moi, reinforces the vibe and a gleeful reminder lazy warm evenings. We exit the EP with a return to the party mood of the opener with “Mine (Second Chance Mix)”. Not as forceful or immediate in its quest to get you to dance, it slides in to the subconscious without making much of a fuss with tasteful vocal stabs throughout. It’s one of those ones that gets you going a lot more than you realise and when combined with the humidity of the track, next thing you know your shirt is soaked through. “Mine” swoops and warps with Octo Octa’s customary flair just as the rest of the EP does and it is this uncanny flair and understanding of atmosphere and groove that Bouldry-Morrison has that distinguishes him from the current mass of platitudinal deep house.
Words by: Antoin Lindsay
