A2J2 vinyl

Founded by Alex Agore and James Johnston last year, No Matter What Recordings has proved to be a potent outlet for the duo's inimitable take on crisp rolling house sounds in the label's short life to date and this fourth release maintains those standards. After two solo EPs from the respective label heads, the deftly titled A2J2 EP mimics the label debut with a pair of productions from both, with Berlin resident Alex Agore calling shotgun. Muddy vocals and old school piano lines soar through the shamelessly vibing pump of "Come On" while "Take Me" has Agore in a deeper frame of mind, unfurling the various melodic textures with aplomb over a crashing beat. Not to be outdone, JJ opts for a rawer swinging approach with "Stand Up & Jump" utilising a similar cut up vocal sound which gets increasingly submerged amidst the thick, twisting groove. "Not So Easy" might just be the pick of the bunch however, swamping the intricate drum programming in a rich melange of Motor City Soul that sucks you right in.