By All Means
Let's Get It On

Cute Heels is the solo project of Victor Lenis, the Brussels based founder of Black Leather Records and a producer who will be familiar to fans of Gooiland Elektro. Spend some time with Spiritual, the debut Cute Heels album and you'll realise Lenis is a perfect fit for San Francisco's relentless Dark Entries label. All eight tracks here were written and recorded throughout the course of 2013 and present Cute Heels as a powerful musical force wedged between EBM and primitive strains of Detroit electro and techno. If you can imagine James Stinson jamming on hardware with Beate Bartel then you're in the right frame of mind to appreciate the nuances of Spiritual.E

As we journey on Private Society Vol. 4 connects the dots from the events of the Oasis LP and Abstract Soul. Discerning listeners and collectors clearly ascertain the unfolding story, as pieces of the puzzle begin to form a clear picture in the tapestry of a new trippy fusion house sound. Singular in form and output Fred P continues to go deeper into his ever evolving sound pushing the music forward into the future.

Produced entirely using iPhone and iPad apps, the latest LP from future-soul mainstay Steve Spacek is a quirky and inventive exploration of his musical roots, which run deep within the storied dance music scenes of Chicago, Detroit, and London.The album opens with “Rawl Aredo,” a sleek, grooving deep house jam guided by Spacek’s whispery vocals and electric piano chords that are twisted and warped by an envelope filter. “Waiting 4 You” pairs soft, jazzy organ chords with a lo-fi synth bass, placing it firmly within the same sonic sphere as Larry Heard circa Sceneries Not Songs. “Where We Go,” a high-energy vocal anthem, is a gorgeous reboot of the early ’00s broken beat sound, melding a bouncing kick-clap-rimshot pattern with synths and a devastating bassline. “Tell Me” is slightly darker; Spacek’s longing vocals are set dead-center, and the synths and effects that swirl around them create a haunting atmosphere. “African Dream” lays a joyful, minimal vocal over a backing track where bass and percussion are constantly warped with panning and filtering effects. The end result is less a “song” and more of an ever-changing sonic environment.Bonus track “Child Insperation” distills all of the influences Spacek draws upon throughout Houses. With its driving, 4/4 kick drum, electronic handclaps, deep bassline, and Spacek’s own heavily reverberating voice, the song feels like a winking callback to house music’s past—and a reminder of the liberating, revelatory feeling it can generate on the dancefloor.