- With its vaunted past and current bumper crop of parties booking international heavyweights, New York is undoubtedly still an important city on the dance music map. But while promoters have had great success helping local heads live out their wildest European techno fantasies nearly every night of the weekend, building and sustaining something that's authentically and uniquely New York—a vibe that doesn't jet out from JFK or Newark come Sunday—has been no easy task.
But despite a dearth of proper venues, a party-unfriendly civic infrastructure, and the sheer cost of getting anything done in the city, a few hearty souls persevere. And in lofts deep into Brooklyn, house selectors Justin Carter and Eamon Harkin of Mister Saturday Night have joined the ranks of those who have forged something truly homegrown—a space for low-key revelry that isn't trying to be like anywhere else. Apparently they've struck a chord: while they've shared the decks with big names like Motor City Drum Ensemble and Four Tet, Carter and Harkin increasingly man the whole party themselves and pack the room anyway.
In this spirit, the first record on the party's eponymous record label comes not from Berlin or London but from Anthony Naples, a young man who was until recently just another face in the crowd. Like the party from which it springs, it's not revolutionary so much as perfectly suited for its context. Of all three inclusions, the soulfully laid-back title cut recalls 2 AM on the floor at Mister Saturday Night most overtly, but the same thread—rawness paired with warmth, familiarity paired with undeniable uniqueness—runs through each of these tracks.
"Slackness" emphasizes Naples' obvious talent with percussion, with complexly juggled drum and vocal loops forming a web from which no dancer can escape. A crunchy, grinding kick gives "Tusk" a surprisingly tough opening, but a wash of beautifully sleepy chords softens its impact. Taken as a whole, this EP hits just right: while no substitute for actually being there, the Mad Disrespect EP is a morsel of Brooklyn house broken off for wider consumption.
Tracklist A Mad Disrespect
B1 Slackness
B2 Tusk