Mood Hut Vinyl & CDs

Review: Seven years on from the release of his decidedly loved-up vocal deep house classic, 'Thirstin', Mood Hut co-founder Jack Jutson is finally ready to return to action - albeit with an album that might surprise those who've not paid attention to the inrtricacies of his blazed, glassy-eyed trademark sound. Opening The Door is less concerned with deep house dancefloors than much of the Canadian's previous work; instead, it applies his famously warm, jazz-funk and stoner boogie inspired instrumentation to AOR, yacht rock, Chris Rea (opener 'If You Don't Know Why' is like a cool, 21st century take on 'On The Beach'), West Coast jazz-rock, ambient jazz and mid-80s European Balearic dub. It makes perfect sonic sense and could well turn out to be one of the albums of summer 2022.

Review: When it first emerged a few years ago, Mod Hut was an instant favourite with house lovers. It had a dusty outlook and laid-back vibe that led to some big underground hits so we're glad it has navigated those highs and is still turning out the good stuff as it now drops at 30th release. Freak Heat Waves are the cult collective behind this record which is a hard to define cocktail of hazy house, lo-fi electro, psych, dub and soul that has a proudly DIY aesthetic and very real emotions. Highlights include the lazy vocal allure of 'In A Moment Divine' (feat Cindy Lee) and sultry sounds of slow mo outsider cut 'Music Has An Interesting Power.'

Review: As Slowriffs, Ian Wyatt delivered a handful of killer ambient releases. Since taking on the Local Artist alias in 2013, he's perfected a particularly hazy, opaque, blissed-out and loved-up take on deep house. On Expanding Horizons, his first album as Local Artist, Wyatt more than delivers on the eclecticism promised by the title, variously turning his hand to Sade style 'quiet storm' (the wonderful title track), dub-flecked, soft-focus deep pop ('Without You'), atmospheric ambient ('Neo Wise'), bongo-rich early morning soundscapes ('Rif Kidbani'), vocoder-sporting nods to Tangerine Dream ('Self Healing'), sunrise-ready downtempo disco ('Distance Calling') and touchy-feely, street soul-influenced yacht rock ('Give You My Love'). Blazed, quietly colourful and brilliantly blissful: what's not to like?

Review: Unmatched textural-ambient vibesetters Mood Hut flaunt their aptitude for the style once again, this time presenting the latest five-track EP from Sydney's current-favourite musical HSP, Cousin. The origin story for HomeSoon, a dearth of synaptic reflections and blissful fuzzouts, goes something like this: on his way back from the New Year's rave, Cousin would perambulate all bleary-eyed, finding himself in the midst of a dense Angophora thicket. What followed was a deluge of plant-like eureka moments - ideas coming thick and fast, taking root in both arborescent and rhizomatic fashion - producing the likes of 'Overpass' and 'Muster', all of which present as ever-moving quasi-electronic organisms.

Review: Like many others from the distinctive Vancouver scene, Jamie Enns AKA Big Zen delivers that prioritises mood, ethos and texture. So while his previous EPs have variously touched on deep house, acid and ambient, they've always arrived with an immersive, dreamy and occasionally hallucinatory vibe. That's also the case with this 12" for hometown imprint Mood Hut. Title track 'Prayer Bass' wraps Yorkshire bleeps, tactile stabs and saucer-eyed chords around a funky bassline and techno-tempo house drums, while 'Sugarcoated' is a perfect fusion of peak-time ready breakbeats, rubbery synth-bass, bittersweet chords and retro-futurist lead lines. Over on side B, 'Cash Splash' is a bouncy, dub-fired chunk of deep house/techno fusion, and 'Rumble Ball' is an intoxicating, mind-expanding slab of sunrise-ready tribal brilliance with added ambient house atmospherics.