Alexis Penney's debut record "Window" is out now with "Your Eyes" being chosen as the first single off it. The underground house vibe of the song seems to be a perfect continuation of Penney's artistic path and the fitting bridge between his cult in some circles "Lonely Sea" and these brand new recordings. The subtle yet distinctive production comes from the pair of ultra-talents: Nick Weiss of Teengirl Fantasy and Jamie Crewe aka Poisonous Relationship. Oh yeah and there's a free download of the song as well, generously given away by the always reliable ECSTASY below.
Jamie Crewe a.k.a. Poisonous Relationship, the artist behind "Men's Feelings" one of this year's best tracks to date (#1 on my Crème de la crème chart in May), assisted Alexis Blair Penney, the flamboyant star of Ecstasy Records, with writing and recording his long-anticipated debut album. "Window" is slated for release 6th August and as we read on the label's blog "contains pop melodies cast in a timeless sound that transcend genre by nodding equally to house, new wave and disco". The first teaser "Praying For Rain" confirms the genre-binding context of the upcoming album, balancing between early 80's post-punk electro, nu romantic, echoes of Bryan Ferry's "Bête Noire" and Annie Lennox's "Diva" with a peculiar almost oriental sounding intro. The song promises a thrilling debut which will hopefully also contain 2 of Alexis' previous excellent songs "Lonely Sea" and "Secret City". While we're anticipating the release of "Window" we can already enjoy Poisonous Relationship's one of a kind "Garden of Problems" filled with real underground gems like the meticulously crafted "Nobody", easily standing-out among the most unusual and unique recordings I heard in 2013 so far. These two played side-by-side prove what a groundbreaking, ultra-selective and exhilarating record label Ecstasy is. I can't praise them enough.
ECSTASY has been among my most cherished record labels for quite some time now. Responsible for releasing a series of excellent underground house singles which have reached cult status at this stage, Alexis Blair Penney's marvellous "Lonely Sea" and Finesse's fascinating "Elevate", to name just a few, the ECSTASY team continues to be admirably meticulous in their selection of rare and always utterly brilliant releases. This latest offering from Poisonous Relationship adds even more credibility to their rich catalogue. "Men's Feelings", a spectacular 10-minute long slice of soulful house is taken from "Garden of Problems" EP which is out now digitally and on vinyl. Somehow I missed out on their previous release, the atmospheric "That Magik" by C.L.A.W.S.. These together are the kind of house music I adore the most. For more updates on the label check out Ecstasy's Facebook page.
Two of my favourite house records this year have just received a video treatment. I can't praise the E C S T A S Y label enough, pretty much anything that came out via this Portland based mecca of underground house music is second to none. You can find both of these tracks, alongside tunes by Alexis Blair Penney, Boy Joy, Discodromo and Jason Kendig on this year's juiciest of all dance compilations simply called "E C S T A S Y" out now on iTunes, Beatport and Juno. This is my kind of house music...
