Unknown Artist
TRENTSETTER EP
12 Inch
ltd handstamped 12 inch Vinyl
Emerging from the confines of the underground, Shadow Pressings returns with a brand-new slab of raw wax—four cuts of stripped-back, analog-driven house music from an unknown artist whose identity remains in the shadows. True to the label’s ethos, this release channels the spirit of Chicago basements and Detroit lofts, where swing, grit, and soul collide beneath the glow of a red light.
Side A opens with Trentsetter, a deep and muscular statement piece. Built around a weighty low end and fat synth stabs, it rolls with confident restraint—equal parts hypnotic and heavy. Following it, Unreleased Slices takes things back to the early sampler era, when the chopped and replayed vocal melody craze was born. Crunchy, looping, and unapologetically raw, it’s a love letter to the equipment limitations that sparked a movement.
Flip over to Side B and you’ll find Dreamed Up Ecstasy, a deeper excursion where chiming synth melodies drift above perfectly saturated drums. Emotive yet functional and shimmering with a sense of hedonistic abandon this one creates just the right after hours vibe. Closing the record, Am I dives even further into the deep. Classic M1 organ gives a nod to the ‘90s, while a spoken phrase and chopped vocal textures provide a hook that lingers long after the needle lifts.
The underground keeps its secrets. Shadow Pressings simply amplifies them.[info sheet from distr.]