From Rivera's Groove Box #445: Kian T - Deepah

Whoah! I feel the deepness in this so good. Kian T is a great producer and DJ from Italy, who has released some dope EPs on magnificent labels like Toy Tonics, Secret Reels and Big Bait Records. Italians really do it better, eh?

From Rivera's Groove Box #444: USG - Ncameu (Main Vox Mix)

Some Ron Trent magic right here for the deeper side of house freaks. An excellent deep house cut, with a hypnotic bassline, deep chords, soulful vocals, great track programming and sound engineering. USG stands for Urban Sound Gallery. The production team behind this song is a real orchestra of house music talents: engineered by Matt Warren (author of early Chicago house classics like ''Bang The Box''; ''Rock The Nation''), mastered by Francois K, vocals from D'Bora, trumpet from Peven Everett (the co-author of the legendary garage song ''Gabriel (Live Garage Version)''), keyboards from house musics one of the talentest keyboardists Anthony Nicholson. And everything recorded under the supervision of Chicago's superb Ron Trent.

Rando Arand - Aru EP (Album Review)

There's something unexplainably cool about a man who arrives at a venue with a suitcase full of electronical music devices, which he uses to produce smooth sounds which you can both chill, relax, move your feet and make weird dancing motions to. But that's what Rando Arand, an experimental glitch jazz composer and sound designer based in Tallinn, exactly does with his music. After the well received outsider techno tracks he released in 2019 on the LIITHELI imprint, we seem him returning to the downtempo, ambient and future jazz roots, just like his debut on Asphalt Soliloquies.

Breezy atmospherics, sounds from the nature with chirping grasshoppers, chimes and tubular bell like sounds. What is this? A new age soundtrack from the 80s? But then the percussion and beat kicks in and I'm quickly reminded I'm listening to "August Nights", the folktronic melody vibes of a musical artist, whose whole concept could be summed up as a mixture of electronical versus natural sounds.

The abstract and free flowing approach continues with "Utt" and its companion track "Pea Peal". Broken beats with a nordic nu-jazz element (think of early Nuspirit Helsinki, the more experimental side of Jaga Jazzist, Uusi Fantaasia's first album, or Karl Lindh on Strange Life Records), the phat double bass sounding low end is slapping and eccentric synth stabs keep you alert.

But wait! There's more! "Sepia" offers trip hop beats, fuzzy and pulsating electronical keys with some subtle hints of glitch. In my mind, I'm envisioning this as a fine addition to the legendary "lo-fi beats to study/relax" Youtube channel.

If you're a fan of classical japanese ambient, you can find beauty and melancholy tones in the finishing track "Rohujuuretasand".

Check out "Aru EP" on the artists Bandcamp page

https://randoarand.bandcamp.com/album/aru-ep

From Rivera's Groove Box #443: Uku Kuut - Free Free-e-e-e AO (Admix_M)

An unreleased track from Estonian musician Uku Kuut together with her mom Maryn. They're both deceased now, they had a rough life - with Maryn being exiled and non-favored from Estonia during the Soviet Union occupation. She went with the maiden name Marju Kuut back then and was an established estrada singer (she did an amazing bossa-nova album you can find on Youtube - Marju Kuut & Uno Loop FULL ALBUM, Bossa Nova, 1971, Estonia, USSR). They travelled from Sweden to the US and tried to start a career as soul-funk-r&b producers. They actually owned a super-sweet studio, but because of being foreigners in a total different culture, they did not have the success they hoped for and eventually came back to the freshly independent-gained Estonia in the early 90s. Back home in native land they worked with different projects, including pop music and being studio musicians, producers. Uku Kuut developed ALS and almost full body paralysis, dying in 2017. Maryn resided mostly in Sweden and was really reclusive in her last years, dying april 2022. I ripped this track from an Estonian radio show. I think it's amazing and I hope whoever has the rights to release it, will do so someday in the future. Hopefully! 

From Rivera's Groove Box #442: Giuseppe Scarano - In Your Own

Really loving the latest Giuseppe Scarano EP, it takes skill to flip a sample in such a nice delicate way (Zhane's 1994 cover of Evelyn Champagne King 'Shame').

From Rivera's Groove Box #441: Blankk Transit - Peace Touch

Another alias of talented Chicago deep house producer and musician Darren Brandon. Some of his best works have been recorded under the names of Club Ice ('Manhassett') and Nature Love ('Dance Traxx EP' together with Black Ice Productions).

From Rivera's Groove Box #440: Soundstudio - Track 440

Banging modulations and thumping drums on this 127 beats per minute acid house stomper, produced by Frank Timm, who is best known for his Sound Stream alias.

From Rivera's Groove Box #439: Embezzlement Society - Say Yes

Say yes to good music. 

From Rivera's Groove Box #438: Creative Swing Alliance - In My Arms

Great underground goodness from the Strasbourg duo. So minimal, but very well crafted track, where the strong groove carries the whole track and it grabs your attention. These kind of tunes are the best.

From Rivera's Groove Box #437: Todd Edwards - Steal Your Heart

Todd Edwards brought his unique cut-up style samples and grooves into house music and influenced many, particularly in the UK garage house scene. Absolute legend. This track was released on a 1995 various artist vinyl sampler from New  Jersey's i! Records - 3rd Avenue Project EP. I feel Todd's tracks are the best from his early days.