From the Gutter to the Stars James Johnston

You Are Hear gets into it’s third release with an eight-track offering in James Johnston’s ‘From the Gutter to the Stars’ with remixes from Aybee, Marius Våreid, and more. You Are Hear is a fresh label collective based in New York, made up of Air Texture & Agriculture label head James Healy, Dessous & Urban Torque affiliate Pete Sung and Life & Death and Thugfucker partner Holmar Filipsson. ‘From the Gutter to the Stars’ is a sublime deliverance from Glasgow-based James Johnston, it sticks to that warm house sound he’s become respected for and associated with through his releases on the likes of Deep Down Slam, 4Lux and of course his own imprint No Matter What co-run with good friend Alex Agore. One of the most striking aspects about this EP is the impressive number of tracks on offer from the New York label, easily enough to be termed a mini-album but as a single the vibrant collection of genres is a perfect mix of deep house, smooth groove-laden techno and ambient electronica from a plethora of talent. Standout mentions must go to Aybee’s re-orbit remix with it’s whacked out rhythm and cosmic modulations along with Full Pupp man Marius Våreid’s sublime slow-burning cut of oscillating synths and shimmering percussion, two of the slickest offerings on a slick EP that keeps you locked from start to finish.