- As half of Conga Radio, Toronto producer Robert Steenkamer makes garage house via Balearica, the group's warm, analog basslines co-mingling with Jex Opolis's silky smooth guitars and vocals. The duo has been making a name for itself thanks to a couple of excellent releases on Jex's Good Timin' label, and it's easy to see why. Cuts like "Slumber Dance" are a classy update on timeless influences like The Burrell Brothers. Now on his third solo release as Roberto, Steenkamer reveals he's the spot-on rhythm section to Jex's frontman. New Sensation, for Tom Noble's Superior Elevation label, is no-frills, analog house music of the highest order.
Like peak Nu Groove, "New Sensation" creates that deep feeling with just a handful of elements. Roberto's basics include a diving bassline, some hazy pads, warm synth strings and a hand-played lead. There's a liveness to the production that makes it obvious that Steenkamer, like close peer Suzanne Kraft (or Jex, for that matter), can play superbly. But that instrumental dexterity comes with a rare restraint: "New Sensation" feels bashed out and left alone at just the right moment.
On his remix, Noble, who's done edit work for labels like Clone Loft Supreme and Whatchawannado, focuses on the sparse drums, and he works some impressive magic. The original version in no way feels incomplete, yet the edit's percussive updates fit like a glove. Noble adds a pumping kick, some swinging hand percussion, hi-hats and shakers and calls it a day. It's a subtly crafted floor-filler disguised as a warm-up track, leaving Roberto's dreamy essence intact.
TracklistA New Sensation
B New Sensation (Tom Noble Remix)