- Over four ardently vinyl-only releases, the Aim label have shown us they love deep house. Actually, as the label celebrates its fifth release in the form of a compilation doublepack culled from the label's Rolodex, it's becoming clear that they don't just love the stuff but clearly feel they have a stake in advancing it. More than a pure-and-simple celebration of their current catalog number, Sun Avenue adds up to both a thorough summation of where the label's been and where deep house fans should certainly hope they're planning to go.
Kicking off with Jacques Bon & Nicolas Villebrun's "Pyramid," Sun Avenue immediately calls to mind Aim's counterparts on the better-established Smallville label, albeit with a scrappiness befitting a crew on the rise. OCP's "Raise Your Legs," with a nervously quick pace that recalls Los Hermanos, feels markedly less expected. While deep, it's about as genre-confused a track as you'll find on this label. Christopher Rau and XDB, perhaps the best-established producers brought into the fold, share the B-side with "For You and Me" and "Balance," respectively; neither track is the most exciting thing either has released, but they're solid inclusions. Oskar Offermann & Moomin, the duo behind Aim's first 12-inch, continue to perfect a style of house more cinematic than strictly deep. And, in terms of bassweight (and techno cross-pollination), Oliver Deutschmann's "Gasolinum" certainly carries the day. At well over 11 minutes and covering the entire final side, Ron Deacon's "They Rhythm" could probably use some editing, but his heart is in the right place. Aim are onto something, and this doublepack proves we'll take as much of them as we can get.
Tracklist A1 Jacques Bon & Nicolas Villebrun - Pyramid
A2 OCP - Raise Your Legs
B1 Christopher Rau - For You And For Me
B2 XDB - Balance
C1 Oskar Offermann & Moomin - Nasty Nate
C2 Oliver Deutschmann - Gasolinum
D1 Ron Deacon - The Rhythm