Hardgroove Techno with funky House attitude, Elisa Bee returns to Ben Sim’s Hardgroove label with a dancefloor-ready EP that will shake your walls. The 5-track “Devotion” EP is packed with a silky smooth, energetic flow, marrying multi-genre elements for a freshly minted funk.
Italian DJ and producer Elisa Bee, known for her vast love of record collecting, has shied away from sinking herself into the same consistent sound. Releasing her own music since 2012, her diverse taste and technical skill have seen her productions on iconic imprints like Kneaded Pains, Dance Trax, Truncate, Stolen Goods, and Ben Sim’s Symbolism. Honing her craft over the years, her experience and wealth of music knowledge gives her the ability to light up any dancefloor in a way that is completely out of the box. Take the best and leave the rest; her amalgamation of genres is memorable yet fresh, and it’s that ability to know what to pull from that keeps her forever in the mainstay.
Elisa may be known as the queen bee of modernizing formative sounds, as many of her previous productions have been brilliantly executed revivals of ‘90s sonic elements mixed with contemporary energy, yet this “Devotion” EP feels completely new. The House elements give a feeling of familiarity, but the groove feels dynamic and freshly minted. Following up last year’s “Send Me A Vision” EP, her latest release packs more punch with richer rhythms and deeper House elements for an ultra-modern release that is sure to entice dancers everywhere.
The title track “Devotion” delivers an all-encompassing, driving rhythm, instantly lifting the energy in the room, and bringing forth a feeling of relief. The texture is so well crafted, your mind can hardly muster up a thought outside of the rhythm-laden groove, transporting you completely to another space and leaving you wanting more. A dynamic and warm invitation into the EP. Next up, “Jam Thing” kicks on heavy with percussion, alerting you that this one is going to be pounder. A Techno alarm of sorts greets you and carries you throughout the tune, while the chord progression escalates, ultimately revealing the ending notes of the Techno alarm. The build revs you up, and the anticipation of the ending notes gives a great feeling of satisfaction. This is the perfect tune to gain energy and build up excitement.
Living up to its name, “Boiling point” builds into an excitatory boiling point. The cadence simmers, yet the pace is unwavering, reaching a perfect balance. While the tune never boils over, the tension is laid on thick, building massive suspense. “Dawn Time” gives off vibes reminiscent of the late 2000’s minimal surge. The bubbling chord progression feels as if it is teasing the sun’s entry over the horizon like a prized bullfighter provoking excitement. Incessantly driving, the tune leaves the shimmer of the sun fresh on your gaze. Perhaps a nod to the legendary track “Music Is The Answer”, the “The Answer”’ has all of the elements of a proper house banger and if nothing else, gives you a damn good reason to dance. The track is super high energy, and very House-y, with the drawn-out vocals repeating “music…”, creating a multi-melody groove that easily clears the mind and gets those feet tapping away. It is a feel-good ending to a jack-friendly EP.
Let the queen Bee bring you some honey-drenched treats this fall with her full-throttle latest release. “Devotion” offers genre-bending at its finest, and Elisa Bee’s coalescence of dance weapons makes for dancefloor magic that you can truly sink your teeth into.
-Jen Warra
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