In Luga, Italy, there is a record shop called Flexi that has been operating for 40 years and to celebrate their four decades in the game, the shop’s own label Flexi Cuts has put together a five-track compilation from Flexi-affiliated producers and artists. There’s a nice variety of moods and styles on Musica Solida; Greek deep house soldiers Lex and Locke’s “Soul Escape” is a percussive house roller with the merest hint of afro beats in its rhythms that kicks right off with a keys solo before then heading straight into a brief synth solo. And then it just keeps going with various laser sound wig-outs and rhythmically mutating synths driving things along. Slightly sci-fi, a little soulful, with hints of jazz and a general high level of musicality, it works well.

Hiroyuki Kato, a Japan-based multi-instrumentalist and producer I confess I’ve not heard of turns in a highly effective two-chord part-dreamy/part-jacking NY-style house jam that comes with some subtle but highly funky live-sounding bass licks.

Club Soda are a live electronic outfit and their “The Bottle” — which is a thick, heavy, yearning deep house tune with big, rich chord stabs and with all the parts precisely interlocking just so — is apparently the product of a live jam. “Uncle Swing” from The Mechanical Man (feat. Bob Vito) comes in at a steady 115 bpm and serves up more space lasers, shuffling hats overdriven and pushed to the front of the mix, and then some slightly odd guitar noodling and outré keys. Really like the beat and groove, less keen on the odd/deliberately semi-twee guitar and keys; predictably perhaps I’d really prefer a dub of it because the beats are good and dirty.

Then there’s a punchy little number from DJ Rocca featuring crisp and shiny drums and an imposing bass line that does a little squelching and warping, that he then adds more percussion and an acid line to. It’s very full-on, less deep house, more right-in-your-face house but there could definitely be room in my DJ set for these oddball synths and big brash beats.

Lots of good stuff on this EP, all of which will work on the dance floor, although perhaps not the same dance floor.

⚪️ Musica Solida Vol 1 Tracklisting

Various Artists: Musica Solida Vol 1 (Flexi Cuts / 12" Vinyl + Digital)
1. Club Soda - The Bottle (Ruff Mix)
2. Hiroyuki Kato - That Time
3. DJ Rocca - The Box Above
4. Lex & Locke - Soul Escape
5. The Mechanical Man (feat. Bob Vito) - Uncle Swing

⚪️ Disclosure Statement

This record was submitted as a promo.

⚪️ Previous Coverage

⚪️   New Music: Without You: Sparkling Athenian house from Lex on Delusions of Grandeur (2024)
⚪️   New Music: Italian house band Club Soda drops the breezy & nostalgic Summer EP (2021)
⚪️   DJ Mixes: DJ Rocca – A 5 Mag Mix 78 (2019)
⚪️   New Music: Relative & Javonntte Release “Close Your Eyes And Jus’ Fantasize” (2019)
⚪️   New Music: Club Soda Are Live Alive on “Vibin’ Places” (2020)
⚪️   New Music: Flexi Cuts Launches a New Velvet Series (2018)

Subscribe

5 Mag Issue 213
Released: May 2024

ROOTED: This was originally published in 5 Mag Issue #213 featuring electronic music pioneer Laurent Garnier, Monty Luke, Petals In Sound, Henna Onna, Paul Johnson and more. Become a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right away!