Happiness Therapy France 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: ***B-STOCK: Sleeve damaged but otherwise in excellent condition***


Marc Brauner's recent outings on Shall Not Fade were undeniably classy affairs, with the Berlin-based producer showcasing both hard-edged peak-time house and deeper, more melodious retro-futurist workouts. Brauner's first outing on Happiness Therapy sits firmly in the latter camp. The two most ear-catching cuts are the included collaborations with Tender Games: the sun-soaked, synth-bass-propelled al-fresco deep house funk of 'Amberjack' and the loved-up, piano-heavy rush of 'The Mission', which is as uplifting and celebratory as they come. Elsewhere, 'Call For Freedom' is a sax and TB-303-powered chunk of New Jersey garage nostalgia, 'What's Your Name' is a deeper and more intergalactic-sounding excursion, and 'Dangerous Game' is a breezy, enveloping chunk of turn of the '90s Italo-house revivalism.

Review: Hot new French label Happiness Therapy run by ascendant DJ/producer Crowd Control proudly presents a brilliant double header following up a great inauguration by CC himself and Popka. HT02 features Vancouverite Jesse Bru on the A side, with the late night dusty deepness of "Uncle Frank" (which ventures into hypnotic acid territory later on) followed by the emotive and bittersweet vibe of "Good Life" which is absolutely wonderful. On the flip, rising Welshman Harrison BDP brings the goods as always: with the immersive dub techno flavour of "Eternal Space" followed by "Parallax" which similarly explores the cavernous and glacial aesthetics of Basic Channel and Echospace.

Review: Get those hands up in the air and wave them like you just don't care, because this is heart-on-sleeve, soulful as you like piano house that just wants you to have a good time. And you surely will once the knotted bass, steamy organ stabs and big old school chords of Rocky Razu's 'The Power of Love' infect your soul. 'Break Up' is another lush and glossy groove for open-air dancing and 'Self Control' bumps along on a nice fat baseline while a diva vocal soars up top. It's all lovely, happy music, but the best of the EP might be the cheeky garage shuffle and tumbling melodies of closer 'In The Moment.'