ANTHONY NAPLES レコード& CD

Review: Following the pleasingly experimental, thoughtful, and left-of-centre vibes of his 2021 album Chameleon, Anthony Naples returns to peak-time dancefloors via a fine EP of tried-and-tested treats on Running Back. There's a bouncy-but-driving feel to opener 'Swerve', where raw sounds and relaxing piano motifs leap above a stabbing bassline and sweaty beats, while 'Here With You' is dark, heavy and intoxicated with razor-sharp TB-303 riffs. Over on side B, Naples opts for a pleasingly blissed-out sound on breakbeat shuffler 'Right As The Sun Goes' before switching to a more immersive, acid-flecked deep house sound on fine closing cut 'Be To'.

Review: This is New York-based, Florida native Anthony Naples' first EP since OTT/ZTL back in 2018. Produced right at the start of NYC's summer reopening, the five tracks on Club Pez 'express a state of optimism and excitement for club and dance experiences equal parts real and totally imaginary.' A bouncy bass plays centre stage while underpinned by Afro-house beats on the psychedelic dance of 'Bonk', before taking it down a couple of notches for the deep and minimal afterhours acid of 'Pez Anthem' as well as the elevating energy of 'Solero' on the flip.

Review: Proibito and Incienso label boss Anthony Naples inaugurates (presumably) his new imprint ANS, with yet more typically raw and rusty house jams for the basement. The tough jacking groove of A side cut "OTT" is powered away by its reduced rhythmic bounce - cracking spitfire rhythms accompanied by euphoric, hands in the air stabs and emotive chords. On the flip, the old school, UK IDM vibe of "ZTL" offers up something much different than what we're used to from the Florida born producer with this early Aphex Twin sounding epic. Following up a great year in 2017 with releases on Japanese imprints P-Vine and City-2 St. Giga, Naples delivers the goods once again.

Review: Once impressively prolific, Anthony Naples has calmed down a little in recent years. Us Mix is his first missive of 2017, and follows on from a year in which he released just two singles, one of which was a two-track salvo of loved-up rollers on The Trilogy Tapes. There's a similarly dreamy, mood-enhancing feel about much of this EP, particularly hazy opener "Sky Flowers". While it does contain some fizzing electronic motifs, these largely play second fiddle to the kind of colourful riffs that recall the halcyon days of Italian dream house. Elsewhere, "Sahara" is an analogue deep house shuffler with tweaked New Jersey organs, "At Ease" is a tactile Balearic house bubbler, and "Us Mix" is a locked-in, string drenched bumper.

Review: Although Anthony Naples has a long and successful partnership with The Trilogy Tapes, Slice of Life is actually his first outing on the celebrated imprint for two years. Interestingly, it sees him move away from the dusty, off-kilter sound that he's most famous for, towards something altogether cleaner and more melodious. A-side "Lekker" is astonishingly positive, with sparkling electronic lead lines, starry synth solos, and electro polyrhythms all catching the ear. Epic flipside "Momentos Magicos" is almost as unashamedly loved-up. It's a four-to-the-floor roller, propelled forwards by a combination of darting, electrofunk style synth bass, cascading electronics, and cheery melody lines. Like the A-side, it feels pleasingly timeless.

Review: By his usually prolific standards, 2015 has been a relatively quiet year for Anthony Naples. Smacks marks the Brookyln-based producer's first vinyl outing since the release of the quietly impressive Body Pill full-length in February. Interestingly, it's a more beautiful, melody-driven affair than some of his robust dancefloor workouts. Of course, there's still plenty of club-friendly thrills to enjoy, from the hazy, bleep melodies, ethereal chords and kick-driven grooves of "Dopes To Infinity (4DM)", to the low-slung, shuffling deep house goodness of "Zitronen". Even so, it's the pleasantness and considered nature of most of the compositions that stands out, with the Detroit influenced, broken techno-meets-deep house flex of "Bonobo" proving a clear highlight.

Review: The boy Naples hooks up with Bankhead again for what looks and sounds like a sequel to last year's much loved El Portal 12" for The Trilogy Tapes. Apparently named in honour of the hospitable reception young Anthony received whilst playing a party in the Columbian town of Zipacon, this four track release opens with "Perron" which sounds like previous Naples hit "Busy Signal" hollowed out. From here, "Zipacon" feels like a real high point with fizzing, intricate drum patterns and a warbling pad line that really captivates. Flipside cut "More Problem" offers a undeniably booming interlude before Naples gets really bugged out on the excellent "Crazy Spirit".

Review: Releases thus far on the Proibito label operated by young Anthony Naples have lived up to the Brooklyn-based producer's intentions to use it as a platform to "promote and document the more experimental side of music coming out of New York City, the US and beyond." Huerco S donned the Royal Crown Of Sweden costume for material slightly more club grubby than his excellent LP whilst an EP from Local Artist highlighted how impressive the Vancouver crew Mood Hut are becoming. Naples himself lines up on the third Proibito release - allegedly named in honour of Naples favourite restaurant in his hometown Florida) and the experimental outlook remains very much in place. The grizzled, lo-fi thrum of Naples is very much evident on both "POT 1" and "POT 2" but as they surge past the ten minute mark the productions end in an entirely different headspace to how they began. The second track ends on a particularly psychedelic note and demonstrates Naples is clearly progressing as a producer.

Review: **Repress** Young Anthony Naples is given the prestigious honour of the first 12" from a new label set up by the champs at Rubadub. The Glaswegian record shop and distribution network claim it's going to be an irregular affair, but if all the releases are going to be this good there'll be some clamour for a more consistent release schedule that's for sure. Arriving shortly after that killer release for The Trilogy Tapes, the RAD AN1 12" demonstrates once again how easy Naples seems to find crafting diverse approaches to the house music template. "Ill Still" will suck many people in, a gloriously upbeat combination of shimmering, warbled chords cemented by a walloping kickdrum, whilst "Faceless" is all about the sick little edits Naples employs to break up the blissful pianos and relentless drums. The flip is given to "I Don't See Them" a churning, dubby 8 minute excursion through dark, Detroit leaning house that lends some notable menace to balance out the blissful nature of what precedes it.

Review: Dat boy u know as Anthony Naples adds The Trilogy Tapes to his growing impressive discography with the superb El Portal EP. It only seems like last week Naples appeared out of nowhere with the modern classic Mad Disrespect EP for Mr Saturday Night and since then his rise has been meteoric, remixing Four Tet, gracing Opal Tapes, founding his own Proibito label and dropping another slayer for Mr Harkin and Mr Carter. Adding Will Bankhead's supreme TTT operation to his arsenal is a true statement and this is impressive stuff; doling out raw abstract deep house that threatens to swell over on the title track, while "Pueblo" provides a rough downtempo rhythm whose scrappy hi-hats come laden with funk and a jazzy piano refrain. On the flip, "Busy Signal" provides house track whose sweet chords are counterbalanced by a particularly driving rhythm. Watch out for the Fleetwood Mac drop too!

Review: Anthony Naples pays no (mad) disrespect to Shed or gritty '90s retrospective house and techno music with his Moscato EP, the Brooklyn resident's second release for local party come label Mister Saturday Night. "Moscato" - the A-side version, combines the snow capped hats of WK7's "The Avalanche" with the grounded down piano stabs of Head High's "It's A Power Thing" and the rolling motion of Alden Tyrell's "Rush" from Clone's Basement Series. The B-side version of "Moscato" is essentially a mirror image of the A-side, only Naples tones down the techno elements by resigning his Shed-esque stabs to the background, bringing soothing house driven Rhodes to the fore. With a release for The Trilogy Tapes on the way Naples looks like proving last year's debut release was no fluke.

Review: Back in stock! These days New York's underground electronic music scene is stronger than ever (though residents may argue otherwise). Chief among these has been Mister Saturday Night, a party built on the forthright musical opinions and fearsomely eclectic vision of resident DJs Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter. It's perhaps unsurprising, then, that they've chosen this moment to join the likes of Tim Sweeney, Eric Duncan, Runaway, Roy Dank and the Let's Play House crew in launching their own label. What's more surprising, perhaps, is their choice of artist for the first release. Next to no one knows anything about Anthony Naples. Whoever he is, Harkin and Carter have shown great vision in signing him up. Mad Disrespect is an impressive debut; a cracking EP that neatly sidesteps convention and delivers house tracks brimming with ideas. It's adventurous and innovative, but never shies away from its main purpose: making people dance. Highly recommended!