Introducing Damien Zala... the next promising young Frenchman to release on Hold Youth. Although relatively unknown, his first album *Lonely Happiness* received strong support from Theo Parrish, Norm Talley and Luke Hess amongst others. Combining analogue synths and drum-machines with acoustic elements and samples from old records, the trained sound engineer is a rigorous technician aiming to create sophisticated deep house atmospheres. Hold Youth provide a breeding ground for open-minded and innovative music, and Zalas Second Life EP ticks all the right boxes. Exploring sounds from a broad spectrum, *Ms Blue* is the moody opener that creates a melange of raw minimal jazz, while the B side continues in this vein with more of an obvious off-key German micro house influence. *Considered Done* references the late Herbie Hancock, sampling his voice over a flowing piano melody and punchy bass line, while *Tribute to Willy Simon* goes all out funky, full of brass, with a classic Hip Hop swagger.