Andy Vaz:
Sankolige (inc. Javonntte Remixes)
Wewillalwaysbealovesong
Andy Vaz has been rather quiet on the recording front of late, but Sankolige finds the house producer alive and well. Rather than on his own Yore imprint, his latest twelve-inch appears on Wewillalwaysbealovesong, the Marseille-based deep house label founded by Romain Burle, Mimid Bellahrach, and Bananna Wintour. Thirty-five minutes in total, the release augments two Vaz originals, “Sankolige” and “Help Me,” with remixes of same by Javonntte plus a bonus digital mix of “Help Me.”
Achieving liftoff quickly, the effervescent “Sankolige” animates its vibrant keyboard figures with a 4/4 disco stomp, the hi-hats instantly transporting the listener back to steamy, ‘70s nightclubs. Vaz's acid leanings emerge soon enough in gyrating patterns that just as quickly morph into an interlocking array of synth stabs and burble. As much as anything, “Sankolige” serves as a study in contrast when the rhythm base sticks so unwaveringly to its pulse and the elements laid over it mutate as determinedly. In an enticing twist, the Javonntte makeover adds a hard-grooving kick to the cut that likens the body-mover to some irresistible spawn of deep house and New jack swing.
“Help Me” picks up where “Sankolige” leaves off by again stoking a frothy strut with a hi-hats-driven pulse, though this time Vaz peppers the synth-slathered groove with a female soul singer's repeated shout-outs and acoustic piano accents. Here too Javonntte amplifies the tune's sultrier side in an infectious remix, the groove altered into a funkier slink and the bass boosted to a pulsating, jazz-tinged throb. Don't overlook the digital bonus of “Help Me,” by the way, as it's a punchy riff on Chicago House, with Vaz scattering chattering hi-hats, acidy synths, pounding kick drums, handclaps, and jazzy piano flourishes across its shape-shifting base.August 2019