Truth be told, it wasn't that long ago that I'd written off the crew behind Berlin's deep-house-on-vinyl labels Aim and White as either boring, completely redundant or both. My bad, guys. As the singles and remixes from the likes of Oskar Offerman and Moomin have grown more immediate and distinctive, I'm realizing I had these guys unfairly boxed in. Airy and soft to the touch yet surprisingly insistent, this strain of contemporary house is, and really has been for some time now, on its own vibe. And with Moomin now fully integrated into the Smallville family—with a debut album set to drop on the label later this year—that artistic overlap doesn't look like such a bad thing.
"Sweet Sweet" introduces Moomin to Smallville fans (as if he wouldn't already be on the radar of most denizens) and shows that he can absolutely roll with deep house's A-list. Moomin's original mix pushes the same chord through the same thick arrangement of drums for nearly seven minutes, but there's enough variation in timbre and in how all the pieces interlock that we never quite feel the repetition. Though arranged with a good deal more breathing room, Oskar Offerman's remix actually feels more breakneck. "The Game" sounds very much like the work of a student of Smallville, although the swelling chords at the center of the piece are obviously stoned off Moomin's own stash. We knew Smallville and Moomin would pair well, but this 12-inch makes that forthcoming album an extra-tasty prospect.
"Sweet Sweet" introduces Moomin to Smallville fans (as if he wouldn't already be on the radar of most denizens) and shows that he can absolutely roll with deep house's A-list. Moomin's original mix pushes the same chord through the same thick arrangement of drums for nearly seven minutes, but there's enough variation in timbre and in how all the pieces interlock that we never quite feel the repetition. Though arranged with a good deal more breathing room, Oskar Offerman's remix actually feels more breakneck. "The Game" sounds very much like the work of a student of Smallville, although the swelling chords at the center of the piece are obviously stoned off Moomin's own stash. We knew Smallville and Moomin would pair well, but this 12-inch makes that forthcoming album an extra-tasty prospect.
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Published /
Wed / 19 Oct 2011 -
Words /
Jordan Rothlein -
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Tracklist /
A Sweet Sweet
B1 Sweet Sweet (Oskar Offermann Remix)
B2 The Game
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