- Lush house music for fans of the style's deeper shades.
- Francis Harris is among the most consistent modern deep house producers. Every track the American artist makes, whether solo or in collaboration, is loaded with a feeling, pushing moods that alternate between bliss and melancholy. The tracks are delicate but powerful, blanketing delicate percussion with dreamy pads and vocals. Hafendisko, a Hamburg label that's been exploring similar zones since 2011, has tapped Harris to remix three tunes from its catalogue. Reduced but colourful, these reworks should appeal to anyone with a taste for house's deeper shades.
For my money, the more percussive tunes work best. The rework of Kasper Bjørke's "Cloud 9," an electro track from 2016, is the EP's highlight, a shuffling rhythm track with a bubbling low-end. It's the most minimal track on the disc, not much more than shuffling hi-hats, atmospherics and a deep bassline. But the feeling is strong, buoyed by soft piano touches and pads. The remix of "Where I Wait" by Null + Void is similarly sparse, but its vocals add an extra dimension. Anyone after a bigger vocal dose should reach for the remix of "Hatefuck" by Ticktock, where an abstract, crunchy beat is paired with sung lyrics. It rounds out a refreshingly varied remix EP that Francis Harris fans will find easy to love.
TracklistA1 Kasper Bjørke - Cloud 9 feat. Urdur (Francis Harris Reform)
B1 Null + Void - Where I Wait feat. Dave Gahan (Francis Harris Reform)
B2 Ticktock - Hatefuck (Francis Harris Lightbluemover Reform)