- If you are in need of evidence that Australia has a thriving deep house scene, look no further than Golden Features’ debut full length SECT. It marks a significant milestone for Sydney producer Tom Stell, having held a residency at Candy’s Apartment in Sydney (alongside Hayden James, What So Not, and Allison Wonderland) and previously released two attention grabbing Eps, earning him placements on the festival circuit. What SECT represents for Golden Features is a chance to deliver a more homogenous product than his previous releases, a real statement of who he is and what he does.
Immediately obvious as the album begins is how dark it will be, evidenced by opening track Always. Wide vocoder vocals sing the hook and soon give way to a thumping beat accompanied by a booming bass. That sound is a palette that is drawn from for the rest of the album; the same drum sounds and heavily layered, wide synth patches can be heard throughout the tracklisting, which I think is a double edged sword. On one hand the album has a cohesive sound which allows the vocal centric Woodcut to exist in the same world as the sinister Medicate. On the other hand tracks Runner and Everything suffer from a lack of that special something that, by relying on the heavy bass lines, would bolster the release.
That’s not to say SECT makes Golden Features a one trick pony, because overall there is variation of style. Poppy radio hit Falling Out provides brightness and the brooding 1991 gives gloom, yet the crisp production of the album gives it all a sense of cohesion. In this dark world Golden Features, manages to sound true to dark, deep house while being reminiscent of poppier dance artists like Justice or RUFUS DU SOL.
Renewal and Worship, toward the back of the record, are easily my two stand out tracks. The vocal effects on Worship are a perfect mix of the human and machine, allowing the hook to mesmerise like a hook should. Renewal boasts the beefiest bassline yet in true Golden Features fashion has mountains of detail within its sound design.
While the album didn’t shatter any of my expectations I would happily recommend anyone take a listen to the brilliant sound design and expert production. I’m sure we will see more of Golden Features in the future because SECT is some of the most exciting, original deep house released this year.
- Peter Strasser.