I don’t know what’s happening here — the world has gone wrong in every way we can measure but Austin Bascom is back and dropping tracks again and they’re as good as they were back in the day. Bascom, aka Abacus, is one of the most gifted artists to ever make deep house and after a mostly barren decade or so he’s releasing new cuts with alarming frequency, intermingled with reissues of classics from his catalog and some that have never been reissued before.

They’re not just good, but they’re being released properly too. After two records on James Duncan‘s Innermoods — Basic Amounts and Lausanna — put his name back in circulation, Abacus has continued releasing best-in-class records on best-in-class labels like Kai Alcé’s NDATL (The Lower End Theory). Lately it’s been Phonogramme, which has provided a solid base for the reintegration of the Abacus audio DNA back into the wild. Deep house was not the same without it, and happily won’t be like that again for awhile.

Analog Stories Vol 3 follows up on the second installment released in 2023 and features four new tracks on orange wax. It’s jazzy, soulful and radiates such warm vibes it might warp anything it comes into contact with. “It’s Bubbling (Short Stories)” leads with soulful deep house and an African flair. This music feels edifying, uplifting to the listener and to the DJ and to the dancer. “Beautiful African Girl” is a jazzy showdown. “After The Disco (Submariner Edit)” is narcotic in effect. “Take A Trip” features the vocals of Toronto artist Keita Juma, and the fact that he’s working in house or at least lending his vocal stylings to it is news to me. This is another great addition to one of the standout individual discographies in deep house history.

⚪️ Analog Stories Volume 3 Tracklisting

Abacus: Analog Stories Vol 3 (Phonogramme / 12" Vinyl + Digital)
1. It's Bubbling (Short Stories) (05:03)
2. Beautiful African Girl (Abacus Mainpass) (07:21)
3. After The Disco (Submariner Edit) (07:04)
4. Take A Trip (07:42)

⚪️ Disclosure Statement

This record was not submitted as a promo.

⚪️ Previous Coverage

✳   New Music: Analog Trks: Abacus reissues one of the greatest deep house tracks of all time (2024)
✳   New Music: Maestro: Abacus returns with The Lower End Theory (2023)
❇   Features: Innermoods: The James Duncan Interview (2020)
✳   New Music: Basic Amounts Marks a Return for Deep House Legend Abacus (2018)
✳   New Music: Abacus Presents iDrum: iDrum This Djembe (This Is Not a Bongo) (2012)

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MOVE! Originally published in 5 Mag Issue #218 featuring Detroit’s ambassador-at-large, Mike Agent X Clark, plus Mystic Freaks, DJ Slugo and more. Become a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right now…