I don’t know how much attention this record has gotten — part of our deeply connected world means we always suspect we’re disconnected from the conversation that actually matters, the thing that’s actually happening.

Whatever it is, it can’t be enough. Hugo LX’s transcenDance EP dropped in November on vinyl and it’s one of the best records released in 2021, even if it turns out most people hear it in 2022. Released on DJ Spinna‘s select Wonderwax label, transcenDance is a riot of jazz, boogie, broken beat and deep house, fused into wild shapes and vibrant new colors. You need to listen to these for more than a 30 second gasp to get it, as the glittering “Transcend” flies completely off the radar on a cosmic boogie groove. “2000Thoughts” is surely the triumph here: what begins as a jagged broken beat homage to the sound of the London masters of 20 years ago is transformed, measure by measure, into a jazz belter with a groove that almost any old head on a bandstand could swing with. On “2020Thoughts” Hugo LX pulls the jazz out of broken beat; on “Weave” he pulls the R&B boogie out of house.

transcenDance is a “very personal homage to original dance music legacies” but never takes its eye off the future.

Hugo LX: transcenDance EP (Wonderwax / 12″ Vinyl / Digital / November 2021)
A1. Hugo LX: “Transcend” (5:00)
A2. Hugo LX: “2000Thoughts” (5:02)
B1. Hugo LX: “Weaves” (5:46)
B2. Hugo LX: “Untitled 304” (Romatic Cruise mix) (5:13)
B3. Hugo LX: “Oversight” (Hidden track) (0:53)

⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was submitted as a promo by the label.

This was originally published in House Music Is Church: 5 Mag Issue #195 with Rahsaan Patterson, Kaspar and more. Support 5 Mag by becoming a member for as little as $1 per issue and get every issue in your inbox right away!