440 Hz – Deep Sea Driving EP (ELP004)

Following Tom Jarmey and Aiden Francis on Houseum sublabel Ellipse Records, French artist 440 Hz steps up next with his ‘Deep Sea Driving’ EP. It’s a psychedelic six-tracker, mellow through subaquatic melodies, though also built for the club with powerful bass, punchy, stripped-back percussion and breakbeat, UKG and acid influences. ‘Mindscape’ kicks the proceedings off with swirling pads, organ keys and crisp grooves before ‘Gazoline’ joins in with its dubbed-out synth hits and elastic womp-like bass.

The gorgeous ‘Soul Mirror’ then enters with 2-step drums, trippy harmonies and echoing vocals, while the title track ‘Deep Sea Driving’ features resonant bubbling synths, minimal four-to-the-floor rhythm and more hypnotic layers of underwater melody. Closing out the release, the dancefloor-oriented ‘Chez Jola’ chugs along with alien sounds, reaching for the stars with rolling percussion and gated effects, with peak-time bouncer ‘SF/S’ finishing via acidic basslines and subtle rave elements.