roberta: the brooklyn ave. sessions
Francisco Espregueira
Who’s behind this sound? Does anyone knows who produces this?? Roberta? Roberta who?
Shunning all conventional wisdom for “success” in dance music, Roberta’s visage and persona remain a mystery. Away from all that social media bullshit and all that internet nonsense, she favors the music. The rest doesn’t matter. Her distinctive sound is as dangerous as it gets, flipping shards of classic tracks into rugged and fresh soulful house jams. Following high-karat-gold releases on James Duncan’s Innermoods, Kai Alcè’s NDATL, and her own Night Moves label, Roberta is back with The Brooklyn Ave. Sessions on LA based Worldship Music - another fine selection of music, sure to please any discerning house or garage head.
The Brooklyn Ave. Sessions kicks off with lead cut “This Song Is For You”, smartly introdoucing snippets of spoken vocals alongside an extremely funky bassline to grab the attention of dancers. On Greg Royal’s “Pur Royale Dub”, things are stripped back and echoed out, with a bit of a funk classic also making an appearance. Organic percussion, R&B keys, and sultry vocals signal a smoother approach on “Gentle Is My Love”, with house strings and a sax break accentuating that feeling. Flipping over to the B side reveals “Anything You Want” which is the highest energy cut on the EP. Deft sample chopping and another excellent bassline make for an irresistible groove. Worldship’s head Teflon Dons take the reigns on their “Did This For the Shelter” remix, which increases the grime and the darkness for a perfect late night garage dub.
The vinyls might be sold out. The house heads don’t sleep too often.