USR-010

“The Full 48” – Koister

The EP’s title borrows its name from the first track, ‘The Full 48,’ and is backed by ‘Kongker.’ Both tracks embody Koister’s heavy low end, crisp drum work, and percussive undertones.

‘The Full 48’ has a distinct raw underground quality with a driving bassline, bouncy percussion parts, and plenty of ear candy in the form of eccentric sounds and chopped vocals.

‘Kongker’ provides a straightforward pulsing bassline with a percussive tribal drive supported by pitched vocals and a steady tom line that plays off the kick and bass. The cowbell sends this one over the edge.

Either track will elevate and push the energy level of any dance floor.

USR-009

“Agotamiento” – monotropa.

Agotamiento – Exhaustion. Burnout. Born out of a time of struggle, Agotamiento is an expression of anger, of defied boundaries, of running on empty for far too long. Restrained and restricted, the track opens with a stiff kick and driving percussion, slowly building tension. The break creates a clearing of space as the lead cautiously arrives after an arduous journey filled with failed attempts to completely open up. The melody takes shape and is finally unleashed after the drop – unrestricted and raw in its declaration of freedom.

Socorro – Spanish for help, Socorro represents overcoming struggle. Starting with an almost playful percussive rhythm, the track quickly evolves with the help of heavy synthesizers, hand drums, and percussion that push it forward to the second act. Flutes and airy sounds provide the break and leave a sense of quiet before the heavy drop with an ominous lead sound; a call to action and catalyst for movement.

Inspired by the deep restrain, tense melodies, and exquisite synth-work of the Berlin deep house and techno scene as well as percussion informed by rhythms from south of the equator, this release blends organic and electronic sounds to open listeners up to deep and connective states.

USR-008

“Lesser Known EP” – LKH

LKH’s first release with Underscore Records shows off the duo’s cohesive vibe with five surprisingly varied tracks. The first two cuts-Aztecorum and Similenceata are deep, tribal journeys. Two remixes of ‘The Beat’ comprise the latter half of the ep; The Smell the Time Mix is a callout to the early sounds of trance and the Straight On Edit is an acid groover with some of that same throwback aesthetic. The 2 halves are spanned by a dubby interlude dripping with Desperation.

USR-007

The Jungle EP

The Jungle EP revisits a selection from the label’s inaugural 11 compilation released in 2019. Two talented producers were selected for remix duties, who delivered separate and unique reimaginations of the of the original track.

Sam Hipp drew inspiration from his bass and tech house roots to create a remix with heavy, dark, FM basses and broken beat rhythms to compliment ethereal textures.

On the flip side, Snapdragon makes her official label debut with an atmospheric take on Jungle. Slowly unfolding into a percussive deep tech groover, this version features reworked pieces of the original woven into a lush arrangement of deep elements.

USR-006

Hector J Rodriguez – “Yeh, Wut?”

Underscore’s label founder delivers a bouncy 2 track EP with his first USR solo release. Using childhood inspirations for source sounds, the EP invokes the energy of some of our favorite past dance floor moments.

‘Yeh’ brings the bounce with a rolling bassline, ravey synth stabs and eccentric vocal bits. ‘Wut?’ feels like electro swagger, building energy with driving synth work, call and response vocal parts, and a pulsing bassline.

USR-005

Tony H – “Reality of Feels EP”

Only in dreams can a reality be twisted high up into the sky. Taken out of the deep waters of the subconscious and into the sky of consciousness, pulling the dreamer in with the question, what is reality?

‘Right In The Feels’

With the real comes the feels. The lead track on the EP evokes a reminiscent summertime feeling, one of sunshine and a simple happiness that may have been in the past. With a surprise sample, and the most basic question…what is Love?
‘This Is The Reality’
What is our perception of reality? Are things they way they seem?
This track takes you on a sonic inquiry into what your personal reality means to you. With a deep rolling bassline, melodic synths and a strong message on social economics, this track examines social constructs with subtle hints and messages.

‘LKH Will Lift Us Up Remix’

For this remix, we introduce the collaborative project LKH (Jeremy Linden and Hector J Rodriguez) and their take on the original, spinning the sample to focus on a different perspective. LKH delivers a complex remix with multiple layers, including an aggressive mid bass lead that ‘lifts’ the track the way the sample describes in the original song.

‘This is Reality – Miss Min.D Remix’
Inspired by the vocal elements and melody in the original track, Miss Min.D takes us further into depths with her take on the original. Using a driving complementary bassline, eerie pulsing pads, and a pounding 808 to compliment heavily delayed vocal chops distilled from the original.

USR-004

Simon Houser – “Pura Vida EP”

We are proud to finally release this fabulous EP from Seattle DJ/Producer Simon Houser!

Pura Vida (Original Mix) is an absolutely gorgeous track that is pumping right out of the gate with filtered drums and delayed synths.  It flows nicely into a smooth, grooving tune with South American vibes of lush, echoed vocals and guitars atop stomping tribal drums. Pura Vida originated as a more dance heavy, tech house tune.  Hector Rodriguez and Simon Houser collaborated to breathe new life into the original, ending up with an easily recognizable and memorable dance floor mover that will easily get stuck in dancers heads.

Pura Vida (Dub Mix) is a variation of the original, with some of the vocals removed for those DJ’s that want to focus on the intoxicating groove and warm, driving percussion of this danceable tune.

It’s Getting Deep is thoroughly chunky, deep, and throbbing.  It gradually builds to a hypnotic break, full of spacey fills and vocal delays.  It keeps the undulating pads and adds strings to build tension as it keeps driving along with techy percussion and low end warmth.

Changes is full of funky snippets of piano, guitar, and textured synths along with vocal chopped bits.  This glitchy, bouncy house track picks up the pace as it progresses through in a constant evolution of sounds.

Junkies has a booming, broken drum groove combined with pulsing tones that blend into a dirty house groover.  Percussive, layered and cheeky as it drops into a bass bending break that comes back with a vengeance.

USR-003

Olav Assuden – “Get Your Ass To Mars EP”

Nestled in the canyon walls of Valles Marineris is a Martian warehouse with grey concrete and stripped down linear shapes. At night it lights up with weird throbbing colors accompanied by the otherworldly pounding of alien disco beats.

Olav Asudden captures the scene with his Underscore debut original mix that comprises minimalistic and somewhat industrial textures layered on a bubbling low end. Odd noises weave in and out, making this the perfect soundtrack for the alien affair.

On the flip with the b1 Mr.Linden envisions a second, harder club in the lower levels where incessant techno continually ramps up to drive the dancers into a frothy mess. The b2 is an edit of the original by our label head, exploring the void just a bit further with a driving, pulsing low end and additional alien soundscapes further affected vocal chops.

The b3 is an exercise in refinement, nuance, and low key approach to Olav’s original. This is the last, secret warehouse room on the bottom level, where no communication or recording devices are permitted and identities are concealed. Get your ass back to Mars.

USR-002

Repeat Offenders – “The Misdemeanor EP”

Debut release from Seattle-based Duo Repeat Offenders. The leading track, ‘Lucie Goosey’ is a high energy, eccentric, and playful Tech House banger with unique synth work and a driving bassline capable of lifting the mood in any room.

The B side features ‘Maggie’s Party,’ a nod to the classic breakbeat sound with some modern twists that include a filtered, dynamic acid/303 bassline and heavily chopped samples throughout. Influenced by the driving underground Tech House sound, Acid Bass and Classic Breaks, this release is edgy, playful and high energy throughout.