- Unembellished and effortless deep house from a rising American producer.
- LADYMONIX has a refreshingly DIY approach to house music. Since debuting her first 12-inch on her own Frizner Electric label, the Detroit-native, Baltimore-transplant has released a steady stream of vintage deep house 12-inches, which have started to turn heads within the Metro Area and beyond. Her records are functional but personable, with a cozy balance of warm pads, walking basslines, plenty of vocals and the occasional acid line to spice things up. Her latest EP, High Notes, doesn't stray from the formula, though all four tracks give the vocals center stage.
LADYMONIX starts and ends High Notes with two of her best deep house tracks to date. The title track and "Big Beat" are like piecing together a Floorplan track from the photo negative. Take the "yeah, yeah, yeah" vocal refrain on "High Notes." In other hands this would be full spiritual revival ecstasy, but the sample is wound around a sultry sax line and closed high hat pattern that make it sound like smoke sneaking in from the patio. "Big Beat" is, as the title suggests, bigger thanks to the organ stabs, but LADYMONIX keeps it Room 2 with the dub techno chords. LADYMONIX switches things up on the other two tracks, gesturing at techno with the 303 and heavy kicks on "Blow Your Mind." Her Baltimore homage, "A Bop," sees her maneuver the MPC with Ge-ology levels of finesse.
The past few years have seen a new crop of Detroit-born musicians starting to gain international recognition. Ash Lauryn is one of the most in-demand DJs out there at the moment, while others like Beige and The AM are quickly gaining momentum. With High Notes, it's safe to place LADYMONIX into this orbit. High Notes and LADYMONIX speak to how the Motor City isn't content to merely relive its history, but continues to push the envelope forward for dance music of all shades.
Tracklist01. High Notes
02. Blow Your Mind
03. A Bop
04. Big Beat