Tropical Island EP

Belgian DJ and producer Marius Acke marks his Piston Recordings debut with the superb Tropical Island EP. In the early 90’s Marius was inspired by the grooves of Chaka Khan, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Bobby Brown and Masters at Work. It wasn’t long before he started DJing and thinking about making his own beats. He has been producing deep house on the Wallyis Groove World label and his album Balance was nominated for the Zamu awards. Marius also teamed up with WGW owner Koenie and bass player Rubba J. Together they form the MAYAKU collective, and have releases on labels like Grayhound, Outergaze, Tom Bone Vibratig Music, Heading Home recordings, Aroma and Wha roots? He also works alongside Rubba J on their Deepwater project and he regularly spins at various clubs including CafE diAnvers, CafE Capital, Bar Tabac where you can always expect a deep, warm, groovy and driving DJ set.

Higher intros with a very nice drum section that delivers a live sounding vibe. The drums create a flowing rhythm that is accompanied by some very cool filtered synths. An analogue style bass synth joins in before a deeper, more subby version provides depth on the low end. Shimmering pads work their magic up top alongside a club vocal that compliments the groove beautifully. A wonderful slice of deep house goodness, not to be missed.

Be Free sets out with a punchy kick drum and an intriguing percussion section filled with intricate patterns and cool FX. Stabbing chords stutter through the sound and carry a retro theme in their presence. Plink plonk piano keys accompany the chords effortlessly as a deep bubbling bassline joins in. A distant vocal offers a rebellious narrative which works well with the deep house grooves. Excellent stuff that will not disappoint.

She Aint Good gets right into a warming deep house groove right from the off as chunky kick and shuffling hi hats line up alongside a rising and fading smooth chord pad. A wonderfully deep and lush bassline comes through to take over and get that booty shakin’ as the rhythm is let loose on the drums. Those chord pads become hypnotic and really lock you into the sound. Filtered keys add sublime textures to the groove making this an absolute must have track.

London Chicago carries a powerful deep house groove that grabs a hold of you right from the intro which is made up of classic kick drums and crispy hi hats complete with tantalising chord stabs. The chords work through a very cool progression resulting in a solid deep house flavour. A probing bassline keeps the low end rocking as rich pads sway overhead. Cool vocals join in to give the track a clubby feel but it’s the masterful chord play that will give this one a lot of attention.