- The Brooklyn duo draw from classic '90s house on this fun, upbeat full-length.
- I first saw Earth Boys this summer midway through a 14-hour techno party in New York called Fourth World. By the dimly lit patio dance floor of Sugar Hill Disco, not far from a yurt where ambient music was being played, one of the duo, Michael Sherburn, played warm, jazzy grooves from a blinking table of electronic gear. Beside him was the saxophonist Jeff Hackworth, wearing a black button-down as he jammed over the beats. The crowd of Brooklynites, wearing trendy sunglasses and sling bags, danced joyously around the group's floor-level table set-up. Though this was ostensibly a techno party, Earth Boys' early-evening set delivered the unpretentious vibe often heard in '90s house. That's the sound you'll hear on their debut album, eboys.
Sherburn and his production partner, Julian C. Duron, are pals with roots in Brooklyn's creative underground. Their music has landed on house labels with a mellow, melodic sound: 1080p, Let's Play House, 2MR and Public Release, the label releasing eboys. The LP is a smooth and occasionally trippy house record filtered through the group's freewheeling style and Hackworth's high-pitched sax playing. Sherburn and Duron seem especially inspired by Masters At Work, and several shades of the duo's sound surface on eboys.
While cycling through their favorite sounds, Earth Boys keep you on your toes. Breaks appear regularly, like on "The Intro," a fun, kitschy track that kicks off the album with Hackworth's welcoming sax. The LP's other modes are no less enjoyable. "Bossa Nova Gang" is deep house-tinged funk. "Don Cado" and "The Outro" toy with early '90s chill-out and ambient. On "I'm Amazing," the sax surfaces on a stripped-down mix of a synth and bass drum that recalls classic deep house. earth boys sounds like the result of two house heads geeking out in a messy, smoked-out studio—it's warm, personal and compellingly upbeat.
Tracklist01. The Intro
02. Roll It Back
03. Brick
04. Bossa Nova Gang
05. Don Cado
06. Memory Of 95
07. Come Thru
08. Play At Dawn
09. I'm Amazing
10. Blue Iris
11. Last Call
12. The Outro