TuneLab
LAYO & BUSHWACKA! in The Lab LDN
A LAYO & BUSHWACKA! set in 2024 is a welcome lesson in timeless, genre-agnostic clubbing from veterans who have no time for trends—this is simply great music for a dancefloor, full stop. The Lab LDN feels like a proper party here, warm and connected, where every classic drum machine sound is greeted like an old friend. Sonically, it's a fusion of deep house, tech house, and afro-inflected grooves, all glued together at a perfectly social 125 BPM and navigating keys like 12A and 3A for a warm, inviting harmonic palette. The energy is beautifully balanced: a solid low-end at 0.58 keeps the body moving, mids at 0.31 carry the melodies and chords, and a touch of high-end at 0.11 adds sparkle without fatigue.
The mixing is effortless and musical, with blends that highlight the soulful core of each selection. The tracklist is a digger's dream. The opener, Ben Gomori's edit of Dawda Jobarteh's 'Sama Kebbalu', is a stunning, kora-led deep house gem. Kerri Chandler's 'Ye Yo Ma' edit brings pure New Jersey garage-house spirit, while So Inagawa's 'Logo Queen' injects a dose of minimalistic, contemporary weirdness.
CamelPhat's 'DMT' and Dj RedNight's 'Afro House 9' represent the big-room and afro-house poles of modern tech house. The journey starts with the spiritual lift of 'Sama Kebbalu', builds through the percussive heat of tracks like Lluis Ribalta's 'Good Music', finds a peak in the vocal majesty of the Manoo remix of 'Ilanga', and winds down with the deep, jazzy introspection of Gabriel F's 'I Never Tought Id See The Day (Deep tribute Mix)'.