Manuel Tur – Beasts and Birds review

Artist: Manuel Tur
Title: Beasts and the Birds
Label: Delusions Of Grandeur
Genre: Disco/Nu-Disco
Format: 12″, Digital
Buy From: Juno Records, Juno Download

Manuel Tur arrives on Delusions of Grandeur’s eighth release on top of a wave of recent productivity. He has been putting out his own singles on labels such as Pokerflat, Freerange, Mild Pitch and Drumpoet in addition to his work as one half of his Ribn project with partner Lagenberg, not to mention a plethora of remixes.

His latest solo effort, “Beasts and the Birds” lets his shimmering deep house lead the way over two original tracks and remix from Tim Toh. “Fianchetto” opens the release in a dark and spaced out mood. Ultra deep from start to finish, the tight percussion merges with warm, subby disco beats and echoing horns to make for disturbingly hypnotic listening. The breakdown reduces the tune to strange vocal parts and alien FX, creating a wonderfully spooky atmosphere that sounds even more massive on the big systems.

Developing the disco theme further, “Beast and the Birds” sounds like super contemporary disco, keeping the style of the sound but in a heavily looped fashion that draws on the attitude and characteristics of Detroit. The beat is the driving force here, but we also get some horns and guitar alongside tidy percussion as this deep track rolls along contentedly. Young German producer, Tim Toh is on had to finish the release with a remix of the title track. He stretches “Beasts and the Birds” out in a delightfully abstract nine minute journey. Heavily layered, the remix keeps the vibe of Manuel Tur’s offering, but twists it around new layers of sound.

This is raw house music from Manuel Tur here. Tapping into his deep, slightly edgy sound, “Beasts and the Birds” continues to show us that he knows how to create an atmosphere whilst exploring the deepest regions of house.

Review: Tom Jones