If you call your label Underground Quality then you better deliver. Luckily, Jus-Ed and his troupe of deep-house warriors have been fighting the good fight since the label’s inception, releasing records that live up to label’s name every time. Their latest 12″ Memories of You comes to us from Malta and is the work of Owen Jay and Melchior Sultana, names that may be familiar to those who tune in to Ed’s weekly streaming radio show. Regular listeners will also be familiar with the four tracks found on Memories of You, and it’s certainly nice to see them get a vinyl release.
The A-side is very much on a European house tip with the title cut’s warm and laid-back pads sounding blanketed in snow. “Days Gone By” ratchets up the pressure a bit with a stuttering synth lead plucking away while dulcet, minor tunes drift in the background. Flipping the record over, “Forever” is a kinetic piece with razor-sharp hi-hats and a deep bass line while “Reach” is expertly-arranged and cheerful. And while Memories of You is textbook deep-house, it’s also really well made and a surefire thing for DJs — the kind of record you have on hand to show initiates what deep house is all about. If this EP is anything to go by, Owen Jay and Melchior Sultana are two names worth watching for.
Nice.
Nice indeed.