Upstairs Asylum Us Vinyl & CDs

Review: Detroit born/Phoenix based Steve Crawford next up on Norm Talley's Upstairs Asylum featuring a killer Yoruba Soul remix.

Review: House with an extra dose of crispy high-end from DJ Aakmael, who has haunted the saucier ends of the Chicago house scene since the mid 1990s. Aakmael is a mysterious entity, and can be ghost-spotted behind any solid pair of decks on a rainy night. 'Deep Cookie' harkens after a forgotten platonic form of house, in which East Asian synths and 808 claps collide compellingly. Meanwhile, '4ever' rounds off the B-side; it's a diggers' delight with a near-UK feel and mystical vocals and sax, recalling recent tunes this side of the pond by Ben Hauke.

Review: You always knew that when Norm Talley started his Upstairs Asylum label is was going to be pure quality. The Detroit man is one of the many contemporary flag bearers for the much loved original 313 house sound and as his DJ sets attest, heinous how to pick out the best work from others on a similar tip. He does that here with a various artists four tracker that kicks off with a brace of soul fuelled and jazz laced deep house cuts from Felipe Gordon. Stefan Ringer then brings that lo-fi house goodness and exquisite synth craft with 'You Know' while Deepset's 'U Got Dat' is a late night number with a low slung sense of sleaze.

Review: There is a heavyweight selection of names on this first release from Norm Talley's promising new label Upstairs Asylum. Firstly, the man himself is a Motor City heavyweight who links with fellow luminary Omar S on the opener 'Muggy Detroit Heat.' It's an intense and steamy house track that bristles with raw melody. On the flip, French house icon D'Julz reworks a tune by Norm in cahoots with the one and only Moodymann. This one is all cuddly chords, romanic vocal chops and warm, rough edged house beats for those cosy basements.

Review: Don't be misled by the facetious title, there's no handbag house to be found on Hed Kandi Vol. 1. Instead, you'll be treated to some real proper beatdown vibes by some right legends of the Detroit underground, curated by scene stalwart Norm Talley. The ever impressive Delano Smith gets the Mixmode vibe in effect on the hypnotic back room dubs of 'The Lost Synth' parts 1 & 2 respectively which cover the A side. Over on the flip, Sistrum Recordings main man Patrice Scott gets some emotive Motor City soul going on in his inimitable style on 'Better Days' followed by the heads-down basement beats of Deepset's 'Soltek'.

Review: Recently Norm Talley launched a new label, Upstairs Asylum, and delivered a much-needed sequel to his superb 2011 EP on Mixmode, Tracks From The Asylum. A decade on from the record's original release, he's finally got around to producing a sequel. The native Detroiter predictably starts in fine fashion via 'Gonna Luv U', a chunky and locked-in house number rich in groovy bass, bold piano motifs, ear-cathing sax riffs and colourful P-funk samples, before heading ultra-deep via the beatdown-influenced haziness of 'Detroit Dubz'. 'In Your Soulz' sees him add energy-packed hand percussion and chiming lead lines to a bustling deep house beat, while 'Digital XTC (Detroit Mix)' is a spacey, hypnotic workout that sounds like it was tailor-made for dark warehouses in the hours approaching dawn.

Review: You'll struggle to find any deeper or more alluring tracks in Norm Talley's catalogue than 'Powder', the wonderfully hypnotic, locked in and subtly spacey opener from the Motor City producer's 2011 EP on Mixmode, Tracks From The Asylum. It's a good thing, then, that Talley has decided to reissue the sought-after EP on his own label. The Detroiter doesn't put a foot wrong throughout, with the chugging, beatdown-inspired brilliance of 'Lost', which boasts some sublime piano solos, and the up-beat hustle of 'Private Party' being equally as essential as 'Powder'. Speaking of that track, Delano Smith's 'More Powder' version is also worth a listen, featuring as it does slightly bolder synth riffs and a tougher, techno-influenced groove.

Review: Detroit legend Norm Talley calling his new EP Deep Essentials suggests that, somehow, everything he makes isn't deep and essential. But it is. Anyway, here are five more perfectly designed grooves that sink you into a warm, smoky basement and keep you there. 'Holla-Day' has those trademark sharp hi hats and rolling drums, 'One Track Mind' has a hypnotic synth loop you hope never ends and 'Deeptroitsrumental' is a fantastically rickety drum workout that is primed for dance floor action. 'D-Toolz' rounds out with a sense of edginess, the promise of a big techno breakout that never comes but keeps you locked in hope.