Samann Lets Do It Again

One can only wonder how a budding young producer hailing from Southern Italy came to meet, and indeed work with, the revered Chicago house legend that is Chez Damier.

What is patently obvious is the influence that Damier's productions have had upon Samann, who releases his debut EP on Tsuba Limited, the vinyl-only arm of Tsuba Records. The EP is made up of two delicious slabs of house music that are (you guessed it) heavily influenced by late 80's and early 90's house music in addition to a wonderfully hypnotic remix by the ubiquitous Ukrainian producer Vakula.

The title track, 'Let's Do It Again' is understated yet contagious, on which a simple melody and ascendant vocal are expertly layered over the tracks raw groove. Similarly, the other original, 'I Need It',

again captures this old school house flavour. This time warm textures and a repetitive melody, coupled with a floating synth, build throughout until the track drops into a stomping kick and bubbling bass line.

The quality of Samann's productions have a maturity that belies his tender years (he was born in 1991). While some will bemoan the simplicity of the tracks and equally while there are certainly some rough edges, the warm analogue feel in which he crafts his tracks illustrates that he is an gifted musician and one to certainly keep a close eye on in the future.

On remix duty is man of the moment Vakula who has released on the Aus, Firecracker, 3rd Strike and Dekmantel imprints among others this year. The track begins with a distorted hurricane-warning sample, which sets the tone for what is to follow. While some of the original melody remains, the groove does not and the track is dominated by a number of trippy bleeps and drones which echo throughout. The final result is a remix that is expertly engineered and totally absorbing.

Overall then the tracks on this 12" don't do too much, and they don't need to. Besides the masterful Vakula remix, they are straight-up classic sounding house tracks that succeed in being reminiscent of the type of vintage Chicago house which Samann is so evidently influenced by. Strictly limited to 350 copies, fans of Kerri Chandler, Chez Damier and Ron Trent should seek this one out and will be strongly rewarded for their efforts if they are lucky enough to get hold of one.

4/5

Samann (+ Vakula Mix) -TsubaLtd006-VINYL ONLY by Tsuba