house at his best

jvxta back on hardmatter with some gorgeous house for the label’s 4th release.

following the late night swing of javonntte’s hm002, hardmatter uncovers another detroit talent for their third offering: malik alston. in his first vinyl release in several years, the rebirth ep explores a spiritual jazz soundscape with all of the verve of the city’s trusted sound. beside the soulful ballad of “love changes” featuring evan on guitar, the record’s lead song, “i am”, focuses on malik’s signature instrumentation and live improvisation. the track is a seven minute collaboration between craig huckaby, howard wazeerud-din ii and hardmatterís own zapata, who complement malik’s gospel-inspired vocals, the first time he has sung on a track in four years.

hardmatter returns after the success of their first record with five timeless cuts from detroit legend javonntte. after releases with kai alces ndatl and patrice scott’s sistrum recordings, the groove society ep finds javonntte on fine form, opening proceedings with the sultry soul of sometimes .
cant leave and groove society.....detroit take matters into deeper territory with their rolling groove and late night drive. on the flip side, reachin and heaven find the producer interweaving his classic vocals and live keys, wrapping up hm002 in his inimitible style.

jvxta steps up to the plate fresh from his outing with bokhari’s swamp tape series to open the record with dream, an atmospheric and jazzy number, utilising a soulful vocal to construct a cut that is suggestive of a modern day nu groove release. a2 takes it to lusher territory with lucia with swinging hats floating atop cascading rhodes and synth trills, while the flip side delivers a more ominous affair. dark chords ride along the classic, murky garage of midnight, finally leading to the driving drum workouts of zapata’s legitimate - perfect peaktime material.