- Dusky's recent EP on Anjunadeep was an elegantly smooth, bass-drenched house package that led some people to give grudging props to a label dismissed as a prog house relic. Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman don't have to work any similar alchemy for the label releasing Henry 85, Will Saul's recently-resuscitated and ever-reliable Simple.
"Henry 85" ups the garage quotient from Dusky's last outing, built around skippy Todd Edwards-style drum patterns and a squeaky "Sincere"-style horn refrain. But this is no nostalgic Back To '98 trip—breezy synth swells keep this firmly in the deeper realms of house music. "No More" starts out by tugging at the heartstrings. Its tools? Snippets of soulful vocals and a simple, decaying two-chord synth refrain, before it bursts into action, fuelled by a growling sub-bass and two-step rhythm. It's weighty and emotional stuff.
The Belgian production outfit of San Soda & Red D—AKA FCL—beef up the original mix of "Henry 85," turning it into a tight, horn-parping, 808-slapping slab of chunky house. It's neat and tidy, but it's "No More" that really seduces.
TracklistA1 Henry 85
A2 No More
B Henry 85 (FCL Weemix)