"Eye Know", the auspicious debut single from Hotel Motel aka Alex Tepper and DJ History's Bill Brewster released earlier this month on the Hometaping imprint, set a high standard with a raw house bump augmented by undulated piano melodies. Thankfully Hotel Motel disregards any notion of laurel resting with this release for the always quality Under The Shade which more than matches their debut. "Paying The Price" is made by the typically warm vocal contribution from Miss Kathy Diamond, whose vocals fit ever so snugly around the well paced boogie chug. An increasing cosmic sensation rises as the track progresses thanks to a surfeit of synth and key stabs allied with the deep echo that reverberates around Diamond's refrain. The flipside house mix transforms the track into subaqueous late night boompty music driven by crisp drums and warm bass movements, with Diamond's every line matched by the male diva backing. It's this vocal interplay that distinguishes this version as the most memorable on an all round impressive twelve inch.
