Home Reviews REVIEW: Dusky - Stick By This(The Album) out now on Anjunadeep
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REVIEW: Dusky - Stick By This(The Album) out now on Anjunadeep

With a discography that covers melodic techno, deep house, nu disco-flavours and progressive, Above & Beyond’s Anjunadeep imprint has been rewriting its own rule book in the past 18 months – gaining support from acts as varied as UK techno baron Dave Clarke, French house legend Lifelike, stadium dance star Deadmau5 and Eric Prydz

With the release of Dusky’s effortlessly diverse “Stick By This” LP, the label’s boundaries are being redrawn once again. Ambitious, expansive but brilliantly cohesive, “Stick By This” joins the dots between Booka Shade’s melodic electronica (“Falling”), Leftfield’s dub techno (“I’m Running”), the classic musicality of MJ Cole (“Lost In You”) and warm Laurent Garnier-esque techno (“Need You Back”).

                                                    
Adding further colour to the album’s spectrum, the album’s first single - “Lost In You” - is a deep, bass-driven piano house anthem that features the soulful vocals of Janai and has gained props from US house godfather Tony Humphries and UK bass talent Toddla T – the latter supporting the track BBC Radio 1.

Finding fans at opposite ends of the dance music spectrum is nothing new for the Dusky duo. Previously existing as progressive/ melodic house entity Solarity, Dusky are London based musicians Alfie Granger-Howell and Nick Harriman. As comfortable writing elegant orchestral pieces or stirring piano motifs as they are jackin’ garage house and epic techno grooves, their diverse sounds are united by the duo’s singular aim – to compose electronic music with depth, soul and originality.

Influenced by everything from classical and jazz to techno, UK bass and avant-garde electronica, their compositions have been supported by DJs as diverse as Dubfire, Sasha, Vincenzo, Shur-I-Khan, Motorcitysoul and Above & Beyond.

One of 2011’s most exciting debut albums, “Stick By This” looks set to extend their appeal further yet.



Dimitri Kechagias review: My first contact with Dusky's ethereal music compositions was the first time that I checked out their first single Lost in You. Instantly something inside me told me that this project has something totally different to express with their beats, melodies, funky basslines and warm vocals. Lost in You and Its not Enough featured the vocals by Janai and you can read the reviews for them by clicking on the singles names.  So when I received their album from Laura at Anjunabeats offices I was very happy because I knew that I had in my hands an album that future generations will consider it as classic for sure. Lets take this album track by track and write down the first thoughts coming in my mind cause as they say the first thoughts are the most honest and truthful. Silence Never Heard: Superb intro for the album that sets the mood beautifully with warm strings, slow beats and vocals samples. Lost In You feat. Janai click on the name to check the reviews.Stick By This: The title track of the album exemplifies the mixture of the styles that you can find in this album. Epic melodies coupled with playful prog house beats, warm strings, vocal samples, ethnic influences, violin riffs and bittersweet atmosphere.Plastique: Breaks style track with dubstep rhythm and sweet melodies and vocal samples on top to create a heavenly atmosphere. I’m Running feat. Soloman: Deep tech house organic grooves with dub style vocals that could be easily the soundtrack for the roads of Brixton in London. Falling: Full on nice twists vocal samples and cool jazzy laid back atmosphere that can serve as the ultimate cool down tune at the end of the night as you fall back to reality.Grain: xylophone sounds that create a dreamy like state along with moody jazz undertones to get you back on the road for a night cruise. Lost Highway: It sounds old school deep house with excellent piano riffs and chopped echoed vocals to turn the night into an upbeat party. My Miyagi: Chill out loungy piece that sooths and calm down your senses after a hard night at work with people shouting at you. The perfect recreational track to get your thoughts organised.  Thoughts & Motions: If you love the acid house anthems this track will bring them back with a strange stretched kind of male tough vocal on top. Dusky feat Janai - Its not Enough check the published review. Resin: Deep but very optimistic track that can become your start of the day anthem. You play this and you feel ready to win your bread of the day. Need You Back: I feel this track is closer to the Solarity material that Dusky are releasing. Modern deep progressive house for the gifted generation. Finally If Only is a beautiful closing track that starts with just piano and voice and suddenly the deep tech house beat is back to add the lightside and finish off this album in a hopeful optimistic way. If you wish to introduce someone to EDM music you should offer him/her Stick by This as a Christmas Gift. Maybe the best electronica album of the year 2011. Love IT!



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