This is a record for folk who wear their cap at a jaunty angle and will speak at length, and at great volume, of the virtues of cider and funky house.
[Purchase] Lany opened its doors in 2009. This Belgian imprint, founded by Maxim Neslany, seeks to release quality house and techno. The label was born out of discussions with We Play House owner Red D, and the rest is history. So how does Lany’s latest compilation, Friends, Lovers and Family, hold up?
Katorski offers up “Chains” to get the record going. Now there is a big house revival at the moment, and there is a lot of interesting sounds coming out of this second wave. “Chains” is not part of this. The track has its merits, but is anchored in a late 90’s house style; bordering piano house with pretty cheesy female vocals. The sound is tired with little to stand out. Label boss Maxim Lany teams up with Katorski for the floor centered “The Player.” Samples shadow a decent house beat, the piece having quite a lo-fi deep house feel. Invariably some of the cheesy elements of the predecessor take hold, giving the track a somewhat shallow commercial feel. Luv Jam follow with the sepulchral acid of “Shark.” The track feels like a stranger on here, belonging to some other record. Cold isolated 303 action. A dark beatless piece with a lot of clout. The finale, Scott Ferguson’s take on “Shark,” is a combination of both sides of the 12”. The commercial hooks of the A-side are fed into Luv Jam’s windowless sound to create a clubby acid piece. The track is not unpleasant, but does somewhat deflate the original. Nevertheless, the acid-lines do have something to them and as the track builds it regains some ground.
This is a record for folk who wear their cap at a jaunty angle and will speak at length, and at great volume, of the virtues of cider and funky house. There is little that stands out, little of interest and a lot of generic club banging tracks. Bar “Shark” the 12” has a club orientation, which is no bad thing. To be honest, it’s not a club I’d fancy visiting any time soon.
Friends, Lovers and Family is out now on Lany. [Purchase]
