House music has re-entered the dance music world’s collective orbit once again over the past couple of years, making Hot Since 82‘s name as relevant as ever. The Leeds-based DJ/producer has delivered once more with “Play The Room,” a soulful tech house groove that calls upon the universal appeal of a stripped-down four-four beat to unite dance floors the world over with its rhythms.
The beauty of this track lies in its simplicity. An elegantly understated bass line acts as a backdrop against which an echoey vocal sample repeats, periodically giving way to more atmospheric sound design elements. The slow buildup of the progression calls forth imagery of an intimate nightclub with circles of colored light playing over the sensually twisting bodies of a modest handful of entranced attendees.
House and techno have never really stopped being in vogue in the UK, but as more updated sounds like future house and bass house expose younger generations to more underground sounds, the genres have seen a considerable resurgence in the US as well. I guess time will tell whether the trend is a flash in the pan, or a full-fledged movement to help dance music’s more tasteful side gain serious global traction once more.
Give “Play The Room” by Hot Since 82 a listen and let us know what you think by sounding off in the comments section.
