On September 1st and 2nd, the first ever A Labor Of Love event will be transforming Ironwood Hall into a special event with diverse artist curation. Day one and day two bring very different flavors of dance music, and our two-part article is going to help you familiarize yourself with all of the great sounds headed to Austin.
Day one, the more house/techno centered day, features Dusky, Yotto and BlackGummy. These three artists are all making massive waves on major labels, or their own, and have been on fire with incredible records following incredible records.
BlackGummy, or Iman Marouf, is one of the frontrunning firebrands making a name for themselves on deadmau5’s mau5trap imprint. His sound started as a darker blend of electro-house, but as his career grew it evolved to be closer to techno with a hard edge. In his live sets, you can expect to hear plenty of hard hitting techno from labels such as Drumcode and Microcastle, mixed in with the hybrid-genre sounds mau5trap fans have grown to love. His newest EP, Monolith, is a great representation of his current sound; it features stripped down groovers, progressive slow burners and one of a kind bass chops.
Yotto rose to fame after getting signed to the prestigious Anjunadeep label. His initial release was followed by many, many more as he quickly established himself as one of the fastest rising names on the roster. His iconic deep house sound has been evolving lately as he took a step toward progressive-house with a beautiful release on Joris Voorn’s Green label. In his sets you can expect a great diversity between funky cuts, Anjunadeep style deep-house, and progressive so beautiful it will bring a tear to your eye. Check out a personal favorite, Fire Walk, below.
Lastly, let’s talk about day 1’s headlining act, Dusky. Dusky also had beginnings in 2011 on Anjunadeep, however, they chose to expand to other labels quickly and ended up making their own 17 Steps label in July of 2014. They’ve commented in previous interviews that making their own label gave them massive freedom to release whatever music they wanted to, and it shows. Their most recent EP, Cold Heart, showcased driving house music, hypnotic pads, and progressive plucks. Overall, it is one of my favorite releases of 2017, and for that reason you should listen to it below and catch them coming up this September 1st.
Photo: Christina Kuhlmann Photography