Summer Sessions EP

Summer’s here at last. The sun’s shining, the nights are warm, the BBQs sizzling, and, just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Urbantorque deliver a scorching double-whammy for the summer! The ‘Summer Sessions EP’ presents two of house music’s rising stars, nikola Gala and Scope. There’s a blisteringly hot track from each, followed by some remix swapsies as the boys leave their distinct mark on each other’s tracks. It’s a little bit special.

The EP kicks off with the sumptuous deep tech-house of ‘Hoping For You’ from nikola Gala. Hailing from Thessaloniki, Greece, nikola’s been consistently churning out well-received productions over the last few years with releases on respected labels such as Renaissance, Fokused, Plastic City, Audio Therapy and his own new label Escada Music. A perfect summer evening track, ‘Hoping For You’ manages to be both opulently serene and eagerly jumpy at the same time; stiffening Mediterranean warmth with a twist of jackin’ Chicago.

Ric McClelland aka Scope has been rapidly garnering a fan-base that’s beginning to look like a who’s who of dance music. Following his second release ‘Lookin’ Back, Thinkin’ Forward / Live Forever’, Laurent Garnier and Graeme Reedie (Silicon Soul) added their praise, joining a group of prestigious DJs that already included the likes of Sander Kleinenberg and Jimpster who are recognising the undoubted production talent of the man from Belfast. ‘Uberknocker,’ the Scope track on this ‘Summer Sessions EP,’ is an unashamed emotional sucker-punch of a tune. Lush, heartening melody and heavy grooving bassline combine potently for some real hands-in-the-air moments. It’s big, and it’s actually really quite clever too.

Scope continues to display his musical intelligence and dancefloor nous on his elegant remix of ‘Hoping For You’. Steering the track towards a more electronic deep techno sound, his masterful use of poignant chords will probably meet approval from our French friend Francois DuBois and other lovers of the deep. nikola Gala closes the EP with his interpretation of ‘Uberknocker.’ It’s a trippy, atmospheric slow-builder, and yet more proof of his outstanding production ability.

The ‘Summer Sessions EP’ profiles two producers whose talent and range are broad, resulting in a stunning EP of varying tempos and sounds. Both Scope and nikola Gala make music with punch to impact the dancefloor and thoughtful texture to please the ears. The tracks on this EP certainly do both, and the warmth they radiate will get you ordering another mojito, booking another holiday, and making sure you enjoy the summer while it lasts.