this year is the 2nd year of polen and right now we are presenting the fifth record. louis is a drummer, a bassist, a musician and a dancer and this is his ep for polen. it was a lot of recreating and a lot of shifting to get the end result, but it was worth waiting for. music for dancefloor, for mornings and afternoons, for dancing feet and chosen ears. the art work is made by anne-sophie kneer.

after the last lessizmore release found san proper and maayan nidam crossing swords for the simmering, jammed-out tones of it was a night like this, now the label turns to another close ally for a slice of discerning, upfront house music. louis mcguire lives many different lives in music, from drumming with indie pop outfit ballet school to playing bass for lo-fi electronica group the waves & us. now though his own solo productions are being noticed in the house and techno world, with this new ep following on from a well-received debut on supply records. the diversity of mcguire’s musical leanings feeds into his distinctive sound, as his own take on stripped down, sensual house music bristles with unconventional energy to make for an unforgettable experience that steps up to the most creative frontiers of dance music. live drum sounds rattle around the mix free from quantized safety, while the melodic tones come on warm and fuzzy, capturing the hazy romance of a late morning session as much as the early part of the evening. it’s apparent that mcguire’s weapon of choice is the mpc, channeling his love of gritty beats in the grand tradition of point g and j. dilla. you can hear the spirit of the most adventurous micro house pioneers in the quirky funk of light hearted, while Óreitha revels in the transcendental qualities of a sustained groove without even a whisper of monotony. even with these unusual qualities the music is resolutely built for the dancefloor, and that mcguire manages to be so creative and so focused in the same beat is reason enough to keep tabs on this multifarious and unpredictable operator.

dubby rolling grooves from a-b

we know by now that polen is always searching for fresh talent. dave, teluric, shadee, louis mcguire are among the fresh artists released so far. now its time for young andu simion to join the label. the ep offers 3 tracks made for dancing, use them wisely and you will get the desired effect on the dance floor. 180g with a nice full cover print.

muddy waters ep, the second release from trust, comes from the duo us. trust, cocoon artist julien brachts own label, engraves 3 tracks on wax that present noise as original as can be. the title track by the duo us, namely louis mcguire and markus nikolaus a.k.a. cunt cunt chanel, is a straight-up soulful blend thick with the commanding charm of markus velveteen vocal underpinned by mcguires pulsating beat-as hypnotic as it is powerful. juliens space is heaven rmx captures the hard, dry sound of a live-jam between the pair, whilst his heady trust mix promptly quashes any doubts left hanging. trust us.

marking the start of an exciting new collaborative project, wolf + lamb proudly share the debut release of the waves & us. formed out of a creative meeting of minds between maayan nidam, markus nikolaus and louis mcguire, theirs is a sound that strengthens the storied approach of a live band with the experimental thrust of analogue electronics. pop and rock fundamentals lend an earthly hook to the tracks, but these are anything but straight-forward songs. maayan has already forged a formidable career in electronic music, both under her own name and as part of mara trax, scoring releases on such celebrated labels as perlon. markus performs his own solo project cunt cunt chanel, while louis is part of ballet school, a band releasing on noted indie label bella union. the whirlwind of creativity that has whipped up around the trio has yielded an album which will follow this single, made up of one-take recordings that capture the energy and adventure that powers the waves & us. maayan s electronics provide the atmospheric backdrop to the songs, running modular synthesisers and drum machines through detailed chains of processing and effects with an emphasis on a warm, charmingly rough finish. markus guitar undergoes a similar fuzzy treatment while his voice calls out introspective, abstract lyrics to set the mind racing. louis bass underpins the music with a dubby sensibility, bringing a necessary balance to the frequency range. making the most of their in-the-room recording approach, the singles will feature alternative takes of the songs that will appear on the album, providing a little insight into the flutters and fluctuations that shape the development of this project. with their eyes fixed on live performances and an arresting sound already formed, this is a vital time for all three artists and the people that listen to them.