- Sometime last year, hazy dance music from Vancouver party/production/DJ collective Mood Hut began to resonate with a wider audience. Mood Hut, which counts Cloudface, Pender Street Steppers and about a dozen other acts among its ranks, initially self-released tapes, mixes and a few vinyl EPs that displayed equal fervor for analogue house, new age and outré jazz. Their shadowy web presence, containing screeds on Vancouver city politics, hints at a febrile DIY community emerging from the cloudy Northwest.
Mood Hut began to forge connections with the global underground by hosting DJs from out of town at basement parties. Ben UFO described the cassettes he was given on a trip to Vancouver as "really strange dusty house stuff with an aesthetic leaning towards noise," a description that could apply to productions by fellow party guest Max D. It's fitting that Max D's Future Times is now bringing Mood Hut to the world.
This record begins with Max D's remix of House Of Doors' Bicameral Mind." The lush synths and drip-hop percussion that define Max's solo work are in effect. Ephemeral, improvised leads float above the mix while digi dub snare fills color the low-end. It's an exquisite slice of rainforest house, not far from Max's best work as one-half of Beautiful Swimmers. Kinetic Electronix's "Astral Kin" is a confounding take on Detroit disco house. The track introduces itself with a nostalgic, skipping sample. Sixteen bars later it's reduced to an airtight drum loop and a deep, arresting bassline. The string sample re-emerges at random, creating a roller rink anthem for unsteady skaters. This is a strong debut, charming in its studied imperfection. The groupthink displayed on the collaborative "Bicameral Mind" makes Mood Hut and Future Times seem like a perfect match.
TracklistA House Of Doors - Bicamera (Max D Mix)
B Kinetic Electronix - Astral Kin