Andrew Rasse aka Butane releases his first extended player of the year on his flagship label, Alphahouse, titled, Illusions. A trio of seriously deep and heavily crafted tech house tracks that'll give even the most entrenched house music aficionado a lesson in how to make a bassline groove right.
Kicking the selection off and setting the tone is "Empty Promises", which leads with a grunting, three-note progression encased within a textured drum arrangement. Delicate eq'ing, and automation of these two elements make for a hypnotizing track that you really need to hear loud in a dark space surrounded by like-minded revelers to fully appreciate.
Bass-heavy, "Under No Illusion", focuses on a sub-bass pulse to make you move, though a seemingly unorganized and spaced out atmospheric ripple plays over this — not quite finding a pattern, groove or melody — adding a hedonistic free feeling to the sound and it's assumed purpose within the track. All the while the bassline and kick groove together with little, but targeted, percussion to form a trippy rabbit hole of a story. The experience is elevated even more so with the additional Morpheus/Splinter The Mind (The Matrix) spoken word sample.
Butane's ability in creating inventive sub low bass rhythms is not to be taken lightly. Sub bass, in particular, is a minefield in production but once again, Butane, delivers a thudding slice of mobile low-end on "The Voice" feat Alphahouse regular, Stephanie. This one's a murky affair, drawn out reverberating vocal shots and precise percussive layers. Perfect late-morning afterparty music.
For those of you new to Butane and the Alphahouse sound, it's essential to check out his/their back catalogue, which is rich in-house through techno from a varied selection of producers who all seem to step up to the ethos of the label's style. Butane also heads up the Little Helpers imprint, a label dedicated to releasing club-centric tool tracks that do little other than spread infectious grooves. And so, if you like Illusions then it's worth checking out Little Helpers, especially if you're a budding DJ on the hunt for assured, groove-based techy house.
What do you think? If you like it show some love and support it! 'Illusions' is out now and can purchase on Beatport here.
