Aterral Records 2 year anniversary compilation album art

Eight tracks of mostly deep house make up this quality compilation from DJ/producer Carlo’s imprint Aterral. In a strong set of tunes, there are a few standouts for me. There’s the classy driving deep house of Jesse Bru’s “In The Deep,” a set of chord stabs, Rhodes twinkles and an unrelenting, rolling b-line that all mesh together perfectly. Emanuele Barilli’s “Be Pe Em” is all skippy US-style beats with gauzy keys and bouncy stabs with a nice bit of track progression, while Nephews’ “Waves” lays down languid, raw, clattery beats with overdriven jazzy key chords in a track simultaneously sooting and taut.

Label boss Carlo’s dreamy “Just Tripping Lightly” does just that, setting up a sizzling house rhythm over which he lays out his fluffy synth chords. Lis Sarroca provides her excellent “Magic Happenings,” which is essentially a nice 808 groove, a classic Detroit-esque drifty pad and a nasty square wave bassline which I was well into until she dropped a non-committal trumpet sample over it. Trumpet-sample-averse DJs like me could maybe do a live edit of it to expunge the unwanted brass, but I’d prefer to have a non-trumpet version. In fact, from now on can we just say that all house tracks with trumpet samples have to come with a non-trumpet mix? Thanks.

You also get decent jams from Black Loops, Austin Ato and Danalia and while the moods, styles and tempos of the whole album move around a bit, I bet the whole thing would mix together really nicely.

Various: Dos (Aterral Records / Digital)

1. Black Loops – Fanacanna 05:57
2. Jesse Bru – In The Deep 08:37
3. Austin Ato – Obsession 05:16
4. Lis Sarroca – Magic Happenings 05:52
5. Carlo – Just Tripping Lightly 06:14
6. Nephews – Waves 05:56
7. Emanuele Barilli – Be Pe Em 05:39
8. Denaila – Room One 05:56

⚪️ Disclosure Statement: This record was not submitted as a promo.

 


Previous Coverage:
#ListenUp Black Loops – Higher Remixed (2022)
Searching: Inside 5 Mag Issue 204 (2022)
Hugo LX and the Platinum Wave (2022)
Barcelona producer Lis Sarroca shines on Chamomile (2021)


 

Originally published in 5 Mag issue 203 featuring Beyond Heaven: reconstructing Chicago house music history through Mario “Liv It Up” Luna’s flyer collection, plus Milton Jackson, Damian Rausch, the DJ King of Donetsk & more. Help support 5 Mag by becoming a member for just $1 per issue.


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