Talk about quality: No Speakers has released six 12 inches over the last nine years and they’ve all been high quality shit. Eman, Doorly, Mike “Agent X” Clark and Kyle Hall have featured in production or remix duties on past No Speakers releases, and this time they’ve booked another massively underappreciated Detroit artist in Jon Dixon. Dixon has been a featured on player on some of your favorite records by other Detroit artists, but it’s on solo productions like this where his jazz-inspired house and techno sound gets enough room to breathe.

There are two originals here clumped together on the A side. “Layers To This” features crisp popcorn bouncing beats, with a scratchy techno riff bobbing in the deep end. You can play with the pitch control on this one and come up with some surprising variations without doing very much work at all. “Bridgehouse” is the jam — celestial synths, drums that are almost broken beat and soul for days. Phil Asher made stuff like this.

The B side features remixes of the originals. LA Synthesis adds a haunting psychedelic sheen to “Layers To This,” like looking at the melting rainbow in a puddle of oil. “Bridgehouse” is remixed by El Prevost, adding a tribal stomp. Honest and true all the way through.

⚪️ Paradise Valley EP Tracklisting

Jon Dixon: Paradise Valley EP (No Speakers / 12" Vinyl)
A1. "Layers To This" (6:36)
A2. "Bridgehouse" (6:40)
B1. "Layers To This" (LA Synthesis remix) (7:34)
B2. "Bridgehouse" (El Prevost remix) (7:15)

⚪️ Disclosure Statement

This record was not submitted as a promo.

⚪️ Previous Coverage

✳   New Music: First Word to reissue Tall Black Guy’s seminal 8 Miles to Moenart LP (2024)
✳   New Music: Stir: Japan’s BRISA with Turbojazz, Jon Dixon & Byron The Aquarius (2024)
✳   New Music: Detroit savant Jon Dixon shines on Vocal Sessions Vol 1 (2022)
✳   New Music: Detroit’s Jon Dixon drops the irresistible “Lineage” (2021)
✳   New Music: Detroit Strong: Bad Ass Tracks from Jon Dixon on WANT IT (2019)

 

5 Mag Issue 221
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BACK TO BASICS: First published in 5 Mag Issue #221 featuring Mark Knight, Yuu Udagawa, Gene Tellem and more. Become a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right now…

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