Garrett David – Nu-Relix EP

Review: Garrett David has always been tasteful - but here he sounds hungry. The longtime Chicago selector and Gramaphone mainstay has spent years gently refining his sound: clean, club-conscious, and unmistakably steeped in the US house tradition. But this is different. 'Play2Win' kicks things off with a mean streak - stripped-back but twitchy, all pressure and paranoia, like he's dialled into the dead-eyed hour just before sunrise. 'Grow Up' flips the mood entirely: warmer, wiser, swung to perfection, like Mood II Swing after a week off social media. On the B-side, things stretch out. 'Livin' Under Clouds (Zenzitiv Dub)' is pure humid hypnosis - chords refracted into dubby bliss, with just enough grit to keep your shoulders moving. 'Subaqua' closes the set in high style, with melodic flourishes rising and falling like breath. There's no filler here, no nostalgia trip - just deep house with real personality. Butter Side Up is fast becoming one of the most dependable labels in the UK. With this one, they've struck gold - again.