Dutch duo Lövestad may be a new name to many but probably not if you live in Holland in which case you’ve more than likely caught them rocking their hardwarebased live set at the likes of Into The Woods, Welcome To The Future, Wildeburg and Loveland. To say these guys have become local heroes in their own country is something of an understatement, but they won’t be a best kept secret for too long having already been booked to play at some of Berlin’s best spots including Panorama Bar, Katerblau and IPSE. What makes Lövestad so unique is that releasing records has always been secondary to performing live - something Jimpster relates to from his years spent touring with The Bays. With only a handful of self-released EP’s appearing on Bandcamp Lövestad can be seen as taking the classic band approach of building a fiercely loyal and genuine fanbase through a tireless gigging schedule. Their infectious energy stands as a testament that good, honest musicianship, not to mention funk, is still alive and kicking in electronic music.

Here at Freerange, we’re proud and excited to be giving Lövestad their first ‘official’ release in the form of the Miles EP including an original full length version, Jimpster Edit and Jimpster Dub. Focusing first on the original, we can hear how the duo’s hands-on, performance approach informs their studio productions. Stemming from a live, improvised jam, Miles has a lovely loose feel and sprawling arrangement which imparts the sense of being created on stage in front of a packed dance floor. The duo’s passion for jazz, fusion, funk, disco and house shines through with big stacks of analogue synths and Fender Rhodes flourishes adding to the warm, euphoric atmosphere of the track.

Jimpster took the stems from the live recording and got busy on an edit which sees him tighten up the arrangement and add a little extra punch to the drums and percussion but without losing the uplifting, soulful spirit of the original.

On his Dub Remix, Jimpster pushes deeper, taking a more minimal approach, reducing everything back to a dubby, heads down shuffling groove and bringing the filtered bassline into focus. The result is a classic slice of Freerange deep house which gives us the perfect alternative to the blissed-out vibes of the original version.