Weiss City Vol 2

Toolroom Records has released Vol 2 of the EP series by fast-rising and, as yet, unidentified UK producer, Weiss.

Influenced by a vast array of artists, from Kate Bush to New Atlantic, taking in Shades Of Rhythm, 808 State and Chic along the way, Weiss is one of the most mysterious characters in house music at the moment – all we know is that he is a he, a studio engineer of many years and, it seems, actually a brand new artist, having finally got around to deploying skills on his own material.

It’s been less than four months since Weiss made his conspicuous debut with the ‘Old School Bizz’ EP, however, the release pulled together four tracks that had hit the airwaves on numerous occasions in the first half of the year, getting championed by the likes of Jaymo & Andy George and Groove Armada, so when it finally dropped, it wasn’t without some anticipation. The biggest clue to Weiss’ sound was in the name of the release but, ironically, his take on old school house was completely new.

It was perhaps of short surprise, then, that when he swiftly followed this up with ‘Weiss City Vol 1’, his second EP was instantly apprehended by a broad selection of key players, among them, Shadow Child, Ninetoes, Pleasurekraft and Noir. Meanwhile, the mystery surrounding his identity grew; his Facebook and Soundcloud pages were shut down – serving only to capture the imagination of his fans even further – and his track ‘My Sister’ figured on none other than B-Traits’ Radio 1 show, before entering the Beatport deep house chart at number three.

After indelibly making his mark on the house scene at large, Weiss took what seemed to be (given the brevity of time between his first two major releases) something of a well-earned break, albeit one of little under three months. He’s not exactly been notable by his absence in that time, releasing two new original tracks on Toolroom’s Ibiza Underground and Amsterdam compilations, but now he’s back with yet another EP: the second instalment of the Weiss City series.

‘Weiss City Vol 2′ further cements Weiss’ trademark, classic-with-a-twist house sound, constructed from thudding Motor City kicks, growling basslines and a vibrantly colourful assortment of vocal hooks, ranging from dark and sleazy to epically soulful. Throw in a handful of M1 chords that sound like they’ve been sampled from an ’89 12-inch and we’ve got something that, while obviously fresh, could easily been written a quarter of a century ago in Detroit. In fact, if his name didn’t rhyme with vice, I’d be thinking that the title was a nod to one American city, or another.

As he’s done for previous releases, Weiss has put together a special mix to accompany the EP. Although it leaves out ‘Devil In The Sky’ – instead featuring ‘My Sister’ from ‘Weiss City Vol 1’ – it’s certainly the best way to experience the rest of it. Check out it out here…

 

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1.) Weiss – ‘If I Ever Dance’
2.) Pleasurekraft – ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ (Weiss Remix)
3.) EDA – ‘Love Worm’
4.) Weiss – ‘Ghetto Boy’
5.) Christian Nielsen – ‘Get Right’
6.) Chad Andrew – ‘One Reason’ (Sebastian Paiza Remix)
7.) Christian Nielsen – ‘Drip Drop’
8.) Sean Collier – ‘Eat My Hat’
9.) Rui Da Silva – ‘Return To The City’
10.) Bimas – ‘Broken Thumb’
11.) Gene Farris – ‘House Freedom’
12.) Mr G – ‘Dance Floor’
13.) Weiss – ‘My Sister’