- Whoever's behind HOSTOM knows how to play the game. The French label surfaced late last year after some well-manufactured hype: long before there was a release date for its first record, the outlet had a Facebook page sprinkled with clips of big DJs playing its upcoming tracks. Eventually, popular deep house YouTube channel CMYK posted tunes from its first record in full. All of this created a buzz that most new labels could only dream of.
But does the music live up to the hype? The tracks on HOSTOM so far have been lean and functional, the kind of sunny music that most DJs who play loopy house music have space for in their bag. The sound has been almost too obvious, however, with bright synth stabs and pads, simple breakdowns and chugging drums. Case in point: the two-track HOSTOM 003. It's accessible, with shuffling percussion and an afterhours-ready sheen, and there's little doubt of its dance floor effectiveness, shown by the number of top-tier DJs playing these tracks. HOSTOM 003 also recalls another sought-after sun-friendly record: Tommy Vicari Jnr's recent "BBBB." The thing is, Vicari Jnr did this day-party house sound better and weirder. HOSTOM could find room for some innovation, as it risks becoming a one-trick pony.
TracklistA Untitled
B Untitled