Upstairs Asylum US レコード& CD

Review: Norm Talley returns to his Upstairs Asylum label alongside fellow US house pioneer Delano Smith for Straight Up No Chaser, an eight-track opus featuring four solo cuts each. Talley's gritty, dubbed-out, low-rolling house style is present and correct throughout with the loopy chords of 'Blak Bottom' getting things going, 'The Flip' getting more cavernous and aqueous and 'ISO Vision' leaning into dub techno. 'Believe It' is a soulful deep house looper, while Smith gets bubbly with 'The Bassline', lays down thumping kicks on 'Travels 23' and his trademark synth smears on 'The Drive' while 'Remembrance' is a heady dub house cut that locks you into a state of perfect hypnosis.

Review: Upstairs Asylum Recordings is one of the many seminal Detroit labels run by local legend Norm Talley. It's right in the middle of a busy run right now with no fewer superb run with three new EPs all dropping in quick succession. This one is a split EP with US duo Solid Gold Playaz taking care of the a-side. As always with this pair, their sounds are deep and dusty house with exquisite melodies tugging at the heart. On the flip, Gari Romalis steps up with the slick percussive skip of 'Detroit After Dark' then 'Panties' from Brian Neal brings jacked up analogue groves that lean into techno with a big fat bassline.

Review: You'll struggle to find any deeper or more alluring tracks in Norm Talley's catalogue than 'Powder', the wonderfully hypnotic, locked in and subtly spacey opener from the Motor City producer's 2011 EP on Mixmode, Tracks From The Asylum. It's a good thing, then, that Talley has decided to reissue the sought-after EP on his own label. The Detroiter doesn't put a foot wrong throughout, with the chugging, beatdown-inspired brilliance of 'Lost', which boasts some sublime piano solos, and the up-beat hustle of 'Private Party' being equally as essential as 'Powder'. Speaking of that track, Delano Smith's 'More Powder' version is also worth a listen, featuring as it does slightly bolder synth riffs and a tougher, techno-influenced groove.

Review: Norm Talley has put together a second volume of his Unity series on his own label Upstairs Asylum. It features his nearest and dearest from Chicago and Detroit, all of whom of course serve up perfectly smoky and stripped back deep house and techno grooves to make you move. Delano Smith's characteristic loops lock you in from the off on 'Big City Nights,' Norm himself pairs dub techno chords with suggestive techno stabs that keep you on edge and Brian Kage's 'Poly-Phonic Phonk' is heady, dreamy, richly melodic house bets listened to in a cosy back room at 4 am.