Artist: X-Press 2
Title: Thee (LP)
Label: Acid Jazz
Cat. #: AJXD734
Release Date: 13.10.2023

UK electronic titans X-Press 2 announce brand new album ‘Thee’ alongside the drop of their latest single ‘Zeven’.

‘Thee’ is the vital duo’s fifth LP release and the first on the label they signed to earlier this year. They have already dropped two singles from the album and now unveil another nine fresh cuts that continue their creative purple patch, following recent remixes for Gabriels and David Holmes. It comes after years of defining the sound of the underground with a mix of powerhouse club tracks and catchy songs, most famously their Ivor Novello Award-winning ‘Lazy ft David Byrne’. Whether crafting for the club, the radio, or the catwalk and brands like Givenchy, Rocky & Diesel continue to showcase the pioneering spirit that has been with them since the early 90s. ‘Thee’ is beefy, fad-free house music stripped back but full of flavour, emotional nuance and well-used vocal fragments.

Say Rocky & Diesel of this latest musical chapter – “We’re so excited to be releasing ‘Thee’ with Acid Jazz. It’s been a long time coming, and some of the tracks have been with us for around ten years now. So it’s fantastic to finally get them finished and pulled together with a bunch of new tunes to form an entirely new album.“

The excellent ‘Moov’ kicks off this comprehensive sonic statement with a deep, pared-back house rhythm underpinned by signature fat bass. Deft vocal coos, subtle strings, and distant FX bring the detail that keeps you locked, while the new single ‘Zeven’ plays with a funky disco loop that teases throughout. It never resolves and will ensure natural dance floor rapture. ‘Phasing You Out’ then offers sweaty and steamy basement grooves with a tender vocal over powerful dusty drums.

The second single, ‘Muse’, is a more introverted and heartbroken sound and ‘Can I See The Love’ picks things up with supersized drums and smoke-filled dance floor intensity. ‘The Rain’ veers into techno with twisted acid lines spraying about amongst church-like chords and dense percussion. After the stomping tribal energy of the first single ‘You Know (Everybody)’ comes the zoned-out, post-rush house of ‘Reach For Me’ and more elastic rhythms of ‘Cope’. ‘Bloom’ has freewheeling melodies that allow the floor to cut loose, and ‘Werq’ layers up undulating synths and earworm leads into expressive and storytelling house for the back room.

‘Thee’ proves that X-Press 2 once again shuns the legacy act status and continues innovating at the electronic underground’s sharp end.

Tracklist:
01 Moov
02 Zeven
03 Phasing You Out
04 Muse
05 Can I See The Love
06 The Rain
07 You Know (Everybody)
08 Reach For Me
09 Cope
10 Bloom
11 Werq