Knoe1 – Deep Nation EP

Los Angeles warehouse DJ veteran Jason Blakemore relaunched his seminal Life Music label over a year ago. It’s acknowledged as having helped document the California house music sound alongside his other label ventures, Bassex Records and Fiveleg. Blakemore knows his stuff; he started as a DJ in Los Angeles’ then-burgeoning scene as early as 1992 and has been a fixture of the North American house music family since.

Admittedly a product of those very same late night underground warehouse parties in L.A., Knoe1 makes tracks directly for use on their dance floors, delivering the latest offering for Life Music in the form of his debut EP. The Southern California resident and artist has over a decade of DJing under his belt as well as previous productions made up of remixes for labels like Smash Hit Music and Rong.

His Deep Nation EP starts from the top with the title track’s driving bass line and propelling rhythm before introducing winding acid notes run through the filter, bright ambient pads, and cutting strings. “Housedrumbreaka” follows with initially misleading disco hand percussion which gives way to sick and twisted electro acid, making this the release’s most devastating cut. A similar groove takes place on “Never Gunna Leave You”, but this time the other elements remain within the disco umbrella, especially the pumping bass. The rhythmic guitars and vocal give off a Western attitude though, albeit fitting when considering the outlaw nature behind the best parties and music.