Native Underground – Till It Hurts review

Since discarding illicit disco re-edits in favour of original compositions, Roy Dank’s Wurst Music label has barely put a foot wrong. Echoing the revival in interest in New York for off-kilter house, Wurst has thrived by specialising in house music that appeals to the nu-disco generation (see Neurotic Drum Band’s “Robotic Hypnotic Adventure” and Nick Chacona’s “Slice Of Life”).

This new EP from veteran Brooklyn house producer Henry Maldonado (Strictly Rhythm, MAW Records, Speak, Tirk) is another great example of Wurst at its best. While distinctly different from Maldonado’s distinctly sweaty dancefloor outings of the past – both “Till It Hurts” and “Push 4 Love” are far poppier than you’d perhaps expect – they still retain a distinct New York air, which is half of the fun with Wurst.

With Craigslist-recruited singer Javi on vocals, “Till It Hurts” is a nagging underground house/disco singalong that doffs a cap to Funhouse-era Jellybean, Prelude style synth disco and even Wurst’s penchant for delay-laden piano riffage. There’s also a decent dub for those who prefer instrumentals.

“Push 4 Love” continues in this past/present vibe, utilising some excellent Freestyle percussion sounds, classic basement bass and even hookier vocals. The accompanying Son of Sound Dub is, if anything, even better – all Latin Rascals style edits, a stripped down groove and copious amounts of delay.

Matt Anniss