Video Montage : Santiago BurelliLabel: LessizmoreCat. No.: LIZM17Artist: Mutlu SanTitle: Deep Sea MosaicsFollowing the widespread acclaim for Ferro's The Neverending Story, Lessizmore continues in its quest to highlight some of the most captivating practitioners of mind-altering house and techno. This time their search takes them to Istanbul, shoring up with the considerable talents of Mutlu San. This young producer has proven to be one of the most exciting artists in the Turkish scene, already laying down a solo EP on Petra named Leidenfrost. Meanwhile he also works in partnership with fellow Istanbul firebrand Batu Güler as Bärtaub, the pair having recently released the Wolke EP on the ever-excellent Paragram Records, and Atrax & Remixes double EP on Petra incl. remixes of Swayzak, Roger Gerressen, Havantepe, Tolga Fidan and Cesar Merveille.Stepping up to Lessizmore, Mutlu San takes the opportunity to weave a truly spellbinding tale of what creative house music can be in 2017. "Deep Sea Mosaics" manages to be many things at once, from a hypnotic micro-house roller to an exercise in immersive sound design and on to a meditative ambient piece to soothe a restless head. The pads and synth tones coo out a lullaby of deep harmony underneath all manner of playful sonics, but still an irresistible groove carries the track along through a stirring spread of moods.Long-serving minimal hero Tolga Fidan makes his first appearance on Lessizmore since the earliest days of the label on the Overview compilation, delivering a remix of "Deep Sea Mosaics" that uses the ethereal pads of the original track as a backdrop for a deep, dubby club construction. The drums stride forward with purpose while the atmospheric delay pulses create a hypnotic allure perfect for hazy dancefloors at the far end of the night."Phylum" finds San inviting Güler into the fold for a Bärtaub version that ramps up the club focus with a snappy, swinging set of drums that take centre stage. However, in line with the rich production values of the opening track, there is a lot more to this jam than percussion, and a sumptuous bed of tones and audio debris swirl around behind the beat. As the track builds, so these elements creep to the fore and shape out a narrative that grows ever more engaging towards the climax.Rounding the EP off, "Subglacial Funk" opens up with a classic micro house refrain that calls to mind the finest Minibar-style minimalism. Once again the starting point is only a fraction of the story, and so San gently builds up the layers of detail in the track without upsetting the natural flow of the needlepoint groove. By this point it's apparent just how much skill is flowing into these productions, balancing a wide variety of sounds while keeping the mood mellow and meditative. It can take producers years to reach such a point, but on his second solo release Mutlu San seems to have comfortably achieved an impressive level of maturity in his sound, which only promises even more exciting things for the future.Cast: Lessizmore
