Recommended: Leeon - A New Chapter EP

We could make you an extensive list with things we love that come from the land o’ the leal, but to keep it brief we’ll disclose that the Glasgow based label Seventh Sign Recordings would be on top of that list. In their ten years of existence the label, founded by Sub Club’s Domenic Cappello and his accomplice Graham Wilson, has to a certain degree always been a clandestine affair despite them putting out records by Marcellus Pittman last year (“The Eastside Story”) and by Terrence Parker (“Tribute To Ken Collier”) before that. It’s not that it’s a matter of lack of support either: if you’re in pursuit of their back catalogue, you’ll undoubtedly hear their records played out sooner than later as they’ve gathered support by a diverse line-up of artists over the years. Who these people may be, is for you to find out on a dance floor near you. The Seventh Sign label heads simply let the music do the talking and their records are very persuasive indeed. With the range of their releases varying from minimal techno, jazz and house back to Detroit techno, their output is incalculable but always of unrelenting quality.

Stream: Leeon – Birth Of A Season (Original Mix) (Seventh Sign Recordings)

Their last release saw the light of the day at the beginning of July. The “A New Chapter” EP is the debut release of the fellow Scotsman Leeon, who eases you in with the opening track “Birth Of A Season.” It’s a soothing starting point: a serene and nearly lethargic bassline, backed by keyed up strings, leads you through the track while slowly upping the tempo: it is reminiscent of some of the slower side of techno to hail from Detroit, but at no point it sounds like an endless rehash of of songs from this certain point in musical history. And this is a running line that makes the record stand out in particular: though there certainly is a hint of wistfulness to be found in the music, it’s miles away from forcing itself to fit in somewhere or subconsciously trying to make an exact replica of music that has occurred before. Leeon is moving forward with this release and the melange of jazz and soul and a hint of futurism all come together naturally. With the second cut Leeon takes you from bathing in rays of sun pads to a soulful intergalactic trip, but it’s “The Outsider” that gets the really party started and might just make you want to forget how nice the first two tracks are. It picks up on energy and is a real get-up-and-go for the listener after taking it easy on the first two cuts: melodious Rhode synthesizers flow through the track, and the percussion joins forces with this new trajectory. The closing track, which is a remix of “The Outsider” by Conforce, continues on the higher tempo but leaves no space for a period of repose; he cuts the track in half and gets rid of most of the melody that is to be found on the original. The Dutch producer drenches the remains of the original in delay and none of the elevating and innocent ambience of Leeon is left: formidably armed with the TR-909, Conforce makes place for a dubbed-out substance with granular drums. It’s a sudden upsetting, but a very pleasant one.