Various Artists - Organic City

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  • When LoMidHigh clattered into my world some months ago via the label of the month feature on this very site, I was stunned at the variety and forward-thinking nature of what is still a very underground label. LoMidHigh boss Daniel Lyons has an impressive eye for artists and styles, helming three different incarnations of the imprint—Lmtd, Organic and UnLimited. Organic City, as you might expect, speaks only to the Organic side of things, packing up warm, tech house cuts from artists such as Seuil, Martinez and Ernesto Ferreyra amongst others in the label's first compilation. Throwing us in at the deep end, Gonzales begins proceedings with a haunting and indeed enchanting cut in the shape of "Lucky." Bucket-thunks and solid highs clatter over a monotone bass, with prematurely snipped vocals (a recurring theme on the label's tracks) interspersing the percussive mayhem. Taking the mood deeper with "On the Way" is Franco Cinelli, exploiting a more bump-based groove with panned liquid organs and a harsh upfront piano that shouts to be heard whenever it rears its ivory head. Alejandro Mosso tries to keep up the pace and quality with his bleeping track "Iknowigotu," but the 8-bit segment pricks the organic vibe with synthetic pins, and so what could have been another smooth cut ends up disappointing with its desire to departure from a solid formula. More can be said for "Lanza Perfume" and (hold breathe) "El Lobo Blanco De La Noche Sin Luna," by Ernesto Ferreyra and Martinez respectively, who treat us to two floaty Balearic cuts that soften the mid-ground just in time for harder treatment. This starts with Andrea Jornvil's quite violently produced "Scruffy Sandra," followed by Boola's "Mongrouse 08" with its quite non-descript beats sadly failing to really fit with the mood of the compilation. The "heavy" section is completed by a huge, dark beat trip in the shape of "Most Current State of 3 Min," Raymundo Mendoza's interesting contribution that, while probably sounding the out-of-place here, still exudes a warmth and twitchiness reminiscent of an Organic release. After diving into such a deep vibe I half expected Goldwill's cut to fly me straight into a black hole. What he's produced with "Harmony" however, is a hazy summer anthem so beautiful you half expect it to come with mountain scenery and an eagle call. This is the song that summer days drift away to, a song that holds no responsibility and that seems a fitting homage to the laid-back ethic of slacker-genius label founder Daniel Lyons, whose imagination and dedication has gifted the house scene with more quality so far than many labels muster in their entire existence. Excluding a few dips along the way, this is an ideal introduction to the world of LoMidHigh, and one that fans and newcomers will be poring over for a long time to come.
  • Tracklist
      A1 Gonzales - Lucky A2 Franco Cinelli - On the Way B1 Alejandro Mosso - IKnowIGotU B2 Ernesto Ferreyra - Lanza Perfume C1 Martinez - El Lobo Blanco De La Noche Sin Luna C2 Andreas Jørnvil - Scruffy Sandra D1 Boola - Mongrouse 08 D2 Raymundo Mendoza - Most Current State Of 3 Min D3 Goldwill - Harmony
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