laak return on austere with four cuts, only available on vinyl as usual. laak are on point with the opening track unbalanced, an intensely gritty track. there is also a remix of an archive laak track by dj spider who completely dismantles the original to create a dark menacing remix. the b side kicks off with mental & emotional which continues the theme along with the more laid back track, the rituals. overall an ep that will not disappoint fans of the label.

expect the usual heads down, subterranean business! side a contains probably the most dance floor friendly track that laak have produced, always true, with a solid bass line and 303 subtleties to get going. the second mix of it adds some classic chords to great effect. flipside is for the underground heads, with a lush brooding track called mixed messages and a slo-mo burner amor meus closing the ep. only available on vinyl as usual.

limited to 300 copies. available only on vinyl.
for the fourth ep on austere, irelands slowburn are welcomed into the fold. having impressed us with releases on uzuri and elektrosouls this ep will not disappoint fans of the label to kick things off we have the the hustle which sounds like something that prescription forgot to release back in the day! next up is broken document which delivers lovely warm analogue chords and pads interlaced with an 808 groove. the b-side starts off with do it using various samples to great effect to culminate in a unique deep house sound. finishing things off in much the same territory is from another angle which again brings the warm chords and pads, but also brings to the table some really delicate synth lines to create a surreal effect.

the third ep from laak on austere is very much in the same vein as the labels ethos – raw, profound underground house music! with the past releases on austere getting props from players such as jus ed, keith worthy, steven tang, anton zap, malcolm moore (altered moods), deep space orchestra, homepark, pjotr (ethereal sound), area/m50 (wave) and dj spider, this ep will not disappoint the heads so dont sleep on this!

300 copies, vinyl only, authentic, raw, underground. the second offering from laak on their austere imprint is another defined four tracker. >back of beyond< kicks things off, a sincere heads down jam combining latin percussion elements with a killer bass line and warm chords. the second track, >dont ever leave< is a heartfelt lament on the feeling of loss, slowing the tempo down, this one is deep! on the flip, >cosmic causeway< offers something a little different although keeping with the warm pads, this time the use of a spaced out trumpet keeps things flowing. the remaining track >cantankerous emotions< is a little different as regards to the beats, but loses none of the soul and profoundness of the other tracks. only for the underground soldiers!

austere can mean >lacking trivial decoration< and >not extravagant< which is exactly what the ethos behind this esoteric new label is about - raw, real and underground. the first ep from laak (pronounced >lock<) is true to the roots of house music. warm pads, discreet analog melodies and vintage drum patterns. along the way giving a huge nod to chicago, detroit and the forefathers of the genre. already receiving support from jus ed on his underground quality radio show and quite a few other players, dont sleep!