[3rd Strike Records]

It may seem like 3rd Strike Records just came out of nowhere and hit the ground running, but the truth behind the fledgling UK label is that it’s a relatively new side-arm project from Under The Shade boss David Griffiths. With Under The Shade dedicating its resources to explore the outer spheres of cosmic disco and the like, 3rd Strike fills more of a straight up and down, deep house niche with a killer collection of singles so far by Erdbeerschnitzel, Vakula, HomePark and new talent The Tortoise. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, The Tortoise is well versed in the party end of deep house, where soft Rhodesy chords and well worn vocal clichés meet irresistible elements of funk and boogie, exemplified here on his debut release.

Title track “Gonna Be” taps into a vein of filtered disco house, looping chopped up vocal samples and snatches of keys, setting to simmer with an understated three-fingered bass line that sounds fresh from the soundtrack of a Blaxploitation flick. It’s the kind of thing that has been done hundreds, if not thousands of times before, but The Tortoise brings together all of these parts with an unforced authenticity that repels any thoughts of disingenuousness. This theme is largely repeated on “Lovin’ You,” though the vibe is fractionally pared back with less emphasis on filtering and more on building the samples to a crescendo. “Next Time Around” bases its groove around deeper than Atlantis bass notes and chords gone awry, with the boulevard-wide keys being distorted, stretched and disfigured around the edges, while insistent off-key pulses sound off like audible strobe lights, pushing the beat on. These cuts aren’t particularly cerebral or game changing but rather serve up intuitive dance floor heat that can’t be argued with. The Hunee remix of “Next Time Around” stands out not just for its different approach to the other three cuts, but also for its masterful turns. It drags the track through Chicago for some remedial drum re-programming, then heads over to neighboring Detroit to attach some melodic additions. The heavy organ-like chords that hung over the original like a dense, gray cloud about to burst get the temperature turned up to a sizzle, giving the track an almost audible humidity. 3rd Strike continue on a winning streak with Gonna Be, which marks an excellent first step for The Tortoise.