Session Victim/The Hints/Iron Curtis & Leaves – Treats Vol. 4 – RTR11

Your favourite vinyl-only label kicks off its 2012 discography with another episode of the Treats saga! If the previous volume were associated with straightup dancefloor goodies, Number 4 is more focused on musicianship as Session Victim, The Hints (Quarion & Jules Etienne) and Iron Curtis & Leaves pick up the instruments to compose 3 songs drenched in Funk and Soul with an undeniable 21st century House feeling!

Fresh off their acclaimed The Haunted House Of House album, Session Victim fire up the ep with something that seldom occurs nowadays: the cover of a modern Dance classic! Originally released on Deeply Rooted House by the enigmatic Rootstrax, Harlequin has already achieved mythical status thanks to its amazing bassline. Clocking in at almost eight minutes, svm’s version is a proper Funk workout that begins with rhodes chords, percussion, guitar melodies and saxophone licks over a long yet exciting intro. But as soon as the live bassline kicks in, you know that it’s game over and that people with or without true dancing skills will sweat it out on the floor! Add to that an enigmatic vocal, some rhodes and sax riffs coming at every turn as well as a few chord changes and this piece really is the closest Session Victim have ever been to sound like a proper band. Wow!

The B-side introduces The Hints, a new project from Quarion co-produced with multi-instrumentalist Jules Etienne, one of Berlin’s best kept musical secret. The Hints prefer an old school approach to making music, so apart from the mpc  beat and sampled vocal, all the instruments have been played live by Q & J on the 110 bpm Boogie monster that is Downtown: liquid Pianet chords, Poly 61 stabs, a killer bassline, dramatic organ layers, live (and loose) percussion and even a  quick trumpet melody! The groove is tight and could go on for hours but the Hints love to come up with new chords so we’re treated with a wonderful bridge that appears twice in the song. The Hints also love to keep things short and sweet, so Downtown stays under the 6-minute mark but leaves a fulfilling impression.

After his celebrated debut album on Mirau, Iron Curtis teams up again with Leaves for another sweet and sour House-pop gem. A & F features melancholic rhodes chords that set the stage for a skippy beat and a weird keyboard loop. The  bassline builds up a nice groove while the mysterious Leaves sings with a soft voice. Passion is the theme of this extra fine little boogie snack that actually finishes way too soon and leaves you craving for more! May we suggest to just put the  needle back on and play the track over and over again, like we’ve doing for the past few weeks?

A – Harlequin
B1 – Downtown
B2 – A & F

[audio:http://www.retreat-vinyl.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/RTR11-A1.mp3,http://www.retreat-vinyl.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/RTR11-B1.mp3,http://www.retreat-vinyl.de/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/RTR11-B2.mp3|titles=Harlequin,Downtown,A&F |artists=Session Victim, The Hints, Iron Curtis]

Release: July 25th 2012
(RTR-11_Releasesheet)

Retreat Label Party – Loftus Hall,Berlin

Oh yes, it’s been a while since our last Retreat label party! But like we said back in 2011, we’ve decided to organize fewer events and make each of them more special…so we’re very excited to set up our first label night of 2012 in the fabulous Loftus Hall!

It’s the perfect setting for Quarion to unveil his brand new live set : going back to the roots of Dance Music, the Q-man’s live show puts hardware to the forefront via the ever trusty TR-909 & SH-101 from Roland! Expect some raw beats, heavy basslines, deep atmospheres and those inimitable Quarion melodies!

Iron Curtis’ contemporary take on Chicago House through releases on 4lux, Mule or Retreat has won him accolades left and right. But his musical palette goes way beyond the four-to-the-floor bangers, and his upcoming album on Mirau will showcase Mr. Curtis’ affinity for Hip-Hop, Soul and Dubstep Flavors. He’s also a very solid DJ and we can’t wait to see him turn Loftus Hall upside-down!

Last but not least, Session Victim will rock the 1’s and 2’s with their choice of House, Disco and Funk delicacies. The duo are definitely one of Dance Music’s hottest properties, thanks to their distinctive “cut-up groove” sound that burns dancefloors everywhere and that is masterfully displayed on their debut LP for Delusions Of Grandeur!

All in all, a great line-up of artists devoted to the vinyl cause…and to the art of moving butts !

(First 100 people free before midnight)