- When Aus Music was launched in 2006, it was a home for music made by Will Saul and his friends, including the label cofounder Fink, AKA Sideshow. In the 12 years since, they've released records by some of UK dance music's most successful artists—Midland, George FitzGerald, Scuba, Bicep and Pearson Sound, among others. Those artists have their own established and distinctive sounds, but their music on Aus Music shared overlapping traits—deep grooves, subtle melodies, intricate details and a taste for low-end frequencies. This all comes into sharp focus on the Saul-helmed Inside Out 1, the first entry in a new series by Aus Music. The label says Inside Out will "blur the boundaries between traditional artist albums and mix compilations," with curators showcasing music from themselves and close friends, with just one caveat: all the tracks must be new and unreleased.
As you'd expect, Saul draws music from artists who have been key to Aus Music. Inside Out 1 includes tracks from label favourites Pearson Sound, Youandewan, Marquis Hawkes, Appleblim and Tee Mango, along with a Floorplan remix of "Little Love," a track by Saul and Tee Mango as Primitive Trust. Tee Mango's "Too Future" is an early standout with a wink-wink sample of Diana Ross's "Upside Down" over jagged synth lines and warm, woozy chords. The mix then glides effortlessly from one mood to the next. There are eerie soundscapes (Martyn's "Feel The Magnetism"), warm, classic-sounding house tracks (Lone's "Rent Cheque Night," Marquis Hawkes' "Need You"), dub techno (Komon's "Waiting For The Dust To Settle") and smooth bleep cuts like Move D's "Gleeko Drive."
It's a nimble mix that, in spite of its cohesiveness, never hovers in exactly the same spot for too long. Inside Out 1 also ably reflects the label's overall sound. It can be highly accessible, as on, say, George FitzGerald's "Child" and Bicep's "Just," but elsewhere there are enough wrinkles for it to feel fresh. (The grand piano plonks amid the soulful house of Falty DL's "Wondering Mind" are a recent example.) Soulfulness and melody are also ever-present qualities. Saul's tastes are so particular that, over the years, it's been increasingly easy to pick out an Aus Music record by ear, which is testament to the label's distinctive catalogue. The tracks here might be new, but you can count on Inside Out 1 for reliable pleasures.
Tracklist01. Falty DL - Piano & Flute
02. Komon - Mission
03. Tee Mango - Too Future
04. Deadboy - He Became A Bird Or A Snake
05. Martyn - Feel The Magnetism
06. Lone - Rent Cheque Night
07. Marquis Hawkes - Need You
08. Falty DL - Pound
09. Nathan Micay - Vor Showers
10. Andy Graham - Suspended Smoke
11. Komon - Waiting For The Dust To Settle
12. Appleblim - Divine Infinity
13. Sei A - Via
14. Falty DL - Fire OG
15. Move D - Gleeko Drive
16. Juxta Position - Glider
17. Gerd - Echos
18. Komon & Will Saul - Positive
19. Primitive Trust - Little Love (Floorplan Stripped Remix)
20. Dauwd - Dolly Silverlake
21. Pearson Sound - Pearls
22. Youandewan - Insel 2000
23. Mr. Beatnick - Call Of The Wild