Recommended: Bookworms & Steve Summers – Confused House 001

New York is restless. After it’s club scene collapsed a decade ago under the weight of Mayor Giuliani’s thumb the city has just begun to regain it’s place as a force in underground dance music. An essential piece of this resurgence is the unique brand of analog jams popping up from local producers via labels like L.I.E.S., Future Times, 100% Silk and Jack For Daze. Enter Steve Summers and Bookworms. Summers is a man of many aliases but they all edge toward the more raw and frenetic ends of the spectrum. Bookworms has fewer records under his belt but tunes like the often rinsed “African Rhythms” suggest a bright future. The two have collaborated on the inaugural release for Confused House, a label that Summers asserts will be dedicated to collaborations. The fact that it’s namesake is an old Joe Lewis squelcher might hint at what we can expect from upcoming editions.

Stream: Bookworms & Steve Summers – Possible Worlds (Confused House)

Over nine minutes the first track “Possible Worlds” slowly bubbles up from a minimal hardware workout into a playful and intricate house excursion. On the journey from point A to B it  unravels slowly, layer by layer, never losing momentum. On the flip side “Unknown Number” slips mellow balearic keys under anxious percussion. The final track “Let it Run” take’s B1’s beach vibe and plunges it deep under a sea of swirling pads. The current popularity of early house has lead many producers to ape it’s style wholesale, throwing in some vinyl hiss here or loose drums there. Confused House #1 is many cuts above that manufactured authenticity. Bookworms and Steve Summers’s tracks may have a clear lineage but their sound is all their own.

Confused House 001 is available now on Confused House.

Stephanie Neptune

Spends a lot of time in loud and/or dark rooms. Surfing Twitter as @spacejamzzzz.