Jacques Renault - Back To You EP
LPH013 - BUY HERE
In Stores January 14th, 2013.

A1: Jacques Renault – Back To You
B1: Jacques Renault – Back To You (Paradis Remix)

Let’s Play House begins 2013 much as it did the label itself, with
a record by co-owner, Brooklyn-based DJ/producer Jacques Renault. Unlike LPH001, though, which featured a Runaway original, LPH013 was crafted by Jacques on his own. And this is not a track to skip over or sleep on—it’s the man’s first in three years!

“Back To You” begins unassumingly, with an off-kilter beat, some submerged, wobbly effects, and a brassy horn loop. Gradually, over the course of six and a half minutes, though, it builds to a satisfying climax that will undeniably move bodies on any dance floor and stay stuck in your head for days to come, thanks, in part, to the main melody being augmented by a hummed hook and a couple of congas. As always, Renault is a master of swagger-filled percussion that’s just a little off—a signature (and utterly addictive) characteristic of the weathered producer’s.

The flip features a very special remix—the very first by Beats In Space darlings, Paradis. The Parisian duo turns the original on its head, stretching it into a nine-minute-long house ballad of sorts, fully equipped with soaring vocals, a soothing, fluid, and thick bass line, and a few extra bells and whistles, like a maraca and triangle. Paradis sands down the rough edges of the A1 and crafts a cavernous, mesmerizing counterpart that brings the party to a dignified, contemplative, and peaceful close.

A second remix EP will follow the single with verions by   Francis Inferno Orchestra, Mic Newman (a.k.a. Fantastic Man), and more. Stay tuned for more information!

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River & Phoenix - Follow Your Dreams Pursue Your Nightmares EP
LPH012 - BUY HERE
In Stores December 10th, 2012
  
A1: River & Phoenix – Follow Your Dreams Pursue Your Nightmares
A2: Lauer Remix
B1: The Dead Rose Music Company Remix
B2: Tiago Volpina Remix
Digital Only: – Tiago’s ATTNYC Remix

Let’s Play House finishes it’s first full year with its 12^th release, which, like the first—Runaway’s Indoor Pool EP—features one original track and three remixes.
The A1 comes courtesy of River & Phoenix, a new nom de disque of Australia’s Young Edits. Earlier in 2012, he released his debut EP—Castle Rock—on Editainment, hence the playful moniker. This song, however, is not an edit. “Follow Your Dreams Pursue Your Nightmares” is a thumping, to-the-point peak hour jam that immediately sucks you in with its densely-packed bass line, sharp snare hits, and choral washes. A barn-burner from start to finish.

The remixes come courtesy of three LPH party alumni/affiliates—Lauer, the Dead Rose Music Company, and Tiago—providing the record with a grip of unique interpretations. Lauer squares up the tune, giving it a harder beat and four-to-the-floor groove. The flip finds Dead Rose injecting a heavy dose of early 90s house mayhem into the mix, namely thanks to a fidgety, schizophrenic keyboard riff. Finally, Tiago wraps up with a smoother, sexier rendering that shuffles along in time with some… aroused female huffing and puffing. Not to be outdone, Tiago submitted a second mix, which is a digital-only exclusive. It’s a bit more driven, but just as cosmic and spacey—a swirling synth ditty weaves its way through the track until its abrupt end, making it the most hypnotizing of the bunch. We have just one question: If this is the dream, then where’s the nightmare?

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San Laurentino - Dreamers & Wanderers EP
LPH011 - BUY HERE
In Stores Nov 26, 2012

A1: Dreamers & Wanderers
A2: Deeper Soul
B1: Space Tourism
B2: Stardust Road

With San Laurentino’s Dreamers & Wanders EP, Let’s Play House brings forth a hauntingly beautiful record ideal for the winter ahead—this is music in which to take shelter from lengthening shadows; a warm place in a cold, cold world.

Hungary’s San Laurentino has only been around for a few years, but already the man has proven himself to be a well-equipped, creative, and singular producer of the highest caliber. His last extended-player, Forbidden Fruit, released early in 2012, came via the legendary Live At Robert Johnson imprint. It comes as a surprise, then, that this is only his fourth official recording.

The four tracks included in this package are better perceived as four movements of one piece—each is a shimmering, emotive, and fragile aural journey that revolves around elastic, warm synth melodies that meander as they mystically progress with deliberation. Underscoring them all is a sober and forceful beat and syrupy-smooth bass line. Sprinkled throughout, like glistening stars in a cloudless night, are earthy syncopated rhythms, distorted, fuzzy effects, and chord modulations that make the listening experience all the more engaging.

At its core, Dreamers is rooted in deep house, but San Laurentino has taken the style and elevated it to something more formal and composed in structure and aesthetic; he pours the energy and vitality of the dance floor-focused genre into a more sentimental and sensitive vehicle, yielding something heart-wrenching, hopeful, and simply awe-inspiring. These are dreams transferred to a sonic sketchpad.

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THE M.E.B. - Dead Faces EP
LPH010 - BUY HERE
In Stores Oct 15th, 2012

A1: the M.E.B. – Dead Faces
B1: the M.E.B. – Dead Face (Neville Watson Remix)
B2: the M.E.B. – Killerwatt
Digital Only: the M.E.B. – Dead Faces (Sebastien San Remix)

The duo comprised of Ben Shenton and Chicken Lips’ Dean Meredith returns to Let’s Play House Records with their second EP for the imprint. This one, much like the first, features two originals soaked in spooky, bone-chilling deep house vibes. The record kicks off with “Dead Faces,” which, as the title implies, is a sort of anthem for a zombified discotheque. Its square beat sounds almost like a march, but it’s offset by eerie, reverb’d-out spoken vocals, acid-y synth warbles, and a chunky yet crisp melody, making it grade A dance floor fodder. An accent of cowbell and wells of static-y distortion turn it into a mesmerizing burner.
The Neville Watson remix that kicks off the flip morphs the track into a speedier and more aggressive affair. Watson magnifies the fat bass line and stretches the whole thing out for maximum impact. Following that is the second original, aptly dubbed “Killerwatt.” The tune runs with the aesthetic of “Dead Faces,” but with more clairvoyance: where the latter is all mushy and disorienting, the former is a sharp, assertive number, crafted during a moment of sobriety.
Finally, Sebastien San’s digital-only remix of “Dead Faces” rounds the package out. Sebastien takes the balls-to-the-wall route and turns every element of the original up to 11, adding plenty of rave-y bells and whistles along the way. If the A1 is for your stumbling, brain-dead party-goer, Sebastien’s version is for the drunk-out-of-their-skull fist-pumper, hungry for his next drop.

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The Dead Rose Music Company - Tonight EP
LPH009 - BUY HERE
In Stores Sept 24, 2012

A1: The Dead Rose Music Company - Tonight
A2: The Dead Rose Music Company - Tonight [Ooft! Remix]
B1: The Dead Rose Music Company - Not Enough
B2: The Dead Rose Music Company - Not Enough [KRL Remix] 

LPH’s second offering from the Dead Rose Music Company is one thing if nothing else: proof of the mysterious Leodensian producer’s technical chops and comfort with a variety of dance music. March’s Four Songs EP was a triumphant collection of slow-mo disco-house; each tune was a buttery, sweet confection, perfect for penthouse pool parties and early night energy-builders. Tonight is TDRMC exhibiting his honed control of straight-up house. The two originals (“Tonight” and “Not Enough”) are deep, thumping after-hours burners, flush with prominent drums and groovy bass lines, clipped synth stabs, and sultry vocals. “Tonight” is the obvious fist-pumper while “Not Enough” is the more subversive surprise attacker.

Two of the guy’s compatriots—Ooft! and KRL from the Wolf Music pack—offer up their takes on the tracks to fill the rest of the 12” out. Ooft!’s stretches out the core components of “Tonight,” remolding it into a bumping boogie that teases your ear relentlessly until it finally breaks into full-on party mode. KRL’s version of “Not Enough” takes the opposite approach, amping everything up to a high octane crest and morphing the cut into a stuttering deep house classic without losing an ounce of the original’s warmth. The package is as tight as one would expect from TDRMC but a welcome change of pace and excellent showcasing of how mature and well-rounded the British DJ and producer is.

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Various Artists - V/A EP
LPH008 - BUY HERE
In Stores August 20th, 2012

A1: The Dead Rose Music Company – Your Kisses
A2: Pixelife – Mystery Clock
B1: Bicep – Echo Vibes
B2: Midnight Magic – Same Way I Feel 

The 12” kicks off with a new track by the Dead RoseMusic Company. It’s slower and more peaceful than the party-starting jams featured on last March’s Four Songs EP but still showcases TDRMC’s knack for pumping out edits that can’t really be called edits (“recompositions”?) Newcomer and Tusk/Hornwax affiliate Pixelife delivers the sturdy A2, a thumping, muscly deep house groove that stomps along with deliberation.

U.K. darlings Bicep enter on the flip with a yet another classically rooted take on modern garage (of the UK and NJ varieties). Closing out the proceedings, Brooklyn disco powerhouse Midnight Magic delivers LPH’s first recording by a live band. Tiffany Roth’s sensual, full voice, the group’s glistening horn section, and a penchant for churning out ear-catching hooks combine to create an instant classic.

The four tracks aptly cull together the best of LPH and outline a sort of magnified cross-section of the company’s M.O. and aesthetic.

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Johnwaynes - I Can See EP
LPH007 - BUY HERE
Released July 16, 2012

LPH’s Nik Mercer, Jacques Renault, and James Friedman continue their global exploration of house, disco, and techno with their seventh release. This time the boys head to Portugal for a couple original tracks by Johnwaynes, as well as remixes by the imprint’s very own Renault and Finland’s production wiz, Roberto Rodriguez, here using his Manolo pseudonym.

The EP kicks off with its title track, a smooth, hooky  tune that creeps into your ear and stay there, in large part thanks to the catchy whistled melody, bouncy bass line, and looped bell effects. Renault’s remix injects a heavy dose of adrenaline into the original’s bloodstream, transforming the tune into a slithery, slippery, acid-based peak-hour pleaser while still keeping the memorable riffs intact.

The flip is a darker affair. Where “I Can See” is uplifting, hopeful, and cheery, “Holy Sin” is hard-edged, tight, fidgety, and frantic—the aural embodiment of a paranoid, drugged-out crowd, dancing with abandon into the wee hours of the night. The Manolo remix dims the lights even more, adding an additional tone of ominousness, spookiness. Rodriguez enhances the bass chug while simultaneously stripping the cut of any warmth it might have had—imagine a robotized dub set to images of the apocalypse. 

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Fantastic Man - It’s Essential EP
LPH006 - BUY HERE
Released Jun 11, 2012

For their sixth release, Let’s Play House has headed Down Under to scoop up Australia’s Fantastic Man, a second identity of DJ/producer Mic Newman, with which the Melbourne-based artist explores—and exposes—another side of his musical and stylistic skills. 

And the four original songs on the It’s Essential EP most definitely mark a bit of a departure from Newman’s trademark sounds: he’s exchanged the thumping, peak-hour, hands-in-the-air chaos and messiness of hits like 2009’s “Sizzled Sally” for a more refined and subtle breed of deep house. The title track is crafted around a swinging keyboard line, horn samples, and jazz combo drum breaks. That’s not to say it isn’t made for the club—the throbbing bass line is hooky and infectious and will keep a crowd grooving all night long. “Wie Gehts” runs with the aesthetic of “It’s Essential” a bit further, though instead of a keyboard riff, it builds around a smooth, ear-tickling guitar melody and a sultry vocal.

The flip begins with the chillest tune of the bunch—“Sanctuary”—which certainly lives up to its name. This time, Newman springboards off a charming, dreamy piano line he underscores with an acoustic bass line and warm toms. Atop it all he spreads a thick layer of buttery synth warbles, making the track all the more magical and enchanting. Then “Scenic Route” kicks in and the decidedly clubby Mic Newman returns, although this time we’re meeting him at 4 AM instead of midnight. The jam plods with a deliberate yet stripped-down stride that’s filled out with glistening synth stabs and a persistent hi-hat-driven beat. Finally, the song folds into itself, as though it’s buckled under the strain of heavy eyelids and weakened muscles from a long night on the town.

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Toby Tobias - Paradise Lost EP
LPH005 - BUY HERE
Released May 14, 2012