- Bass Culture has been a go-to label for understated house music for the best part of a decade. Alongside the likes of Robsoul, Lazare Hoche and Varhat, it's one of a handful of outlets and producers pushing the style in Paris, a city with a special relationship with slick and functional sounds. Bass Culture's latest EP collects four remixes from Houdini, a 2015 EP from D'Julz, the label's founder. From spacey to razor-sharp, each delivers a different take on a reduced aesthetic, combining for a 12-inch that would be a great addition to any house DJ's bag.
Your preferred remix will likely depend on the type of dance floors you play to. The rework of "Serendipity" by the Romanian producer MP is the release's most reduced track, little more than a bassline, shuffling percussion and faint synth squiggles. It would be a risky track to unleash on a busy dance floor, so save this one for the afterparty. DJ Skull and Sebo K display a veteran's touch on their respective remixes, both bottom-heavy rollers with jazzy basslines and just the right amount of melody. Henrik Bergqvist, a versatile DJ whose sets take in everything from house to electro, goes spacey on his rework of "Waiting 4 Visa," sprinkling cosmic details over a fat bassline and a snappy beat.
TracklistA1 Houdini (DJ Skull Remix)
A2 Serendipity (Sebo K Remix)
B1 Serendipity (MP Remix)
B2 Waiting 4 Visa (Bergqvist Remix)