Review: II by Knightlife

Released in the summer of 2009 on Cutters - the second EP from Australian nu disco / house producer Knightlife - aptly titled II - is, although relatively simple, an incredible release filled with glittery instrumentation, lots of groove, bright, crisp production and above all - it's one of the most fun, entertaining releases to come out of the blog-era of MySpace led disco and filter house.

II opens with Crusader - described as a pulsating, synth-disco jam by Cutters' head honchos Cut Copy - they couldn't be more correct. Crusader is a delightful nu disco track which wouldn't sound out of place in a smoky, Manhattan based club of the 70s - or at a summer beach party with Louis La Roche headlining. It's a dazzling (and slightly glitzy) club weapon with some fantastic synth-work, great hooks and enough funk to let any audience get down. What's not to love?

The flip side couldn't be more different. Discotirso is a Cerrone-led filter house weapon with extremely tight, punchy production, expert sampling techniques and thumping beats - making it a perfect fit for modern clubs, raucous parties and your DJ sets at home. This has always been my personal favourite on II - it's ridiculously groovy, at times bad-ass and honestly? It's one of my favourite examples of the French touch sound ever - even though an Australian made it!

Aside from the two original cuts on this EP, II closes with a remix from Delta Night of All Systems - the original track initially featured on Knightlife's first self-titled EP - released in 2007. This remix is stuffed with the bright instrumentation that listeners have come to expect through II's opener Crusader - there's a killer bassline, extremely funky percussion / drumwork, and some fantastic breakdowns and piano-led sections, and yet - it feels extremely quirky, giving listeners a fresh way to end out such an awesome EP.

In short, although relatively underground - II is an absolute classic from start to finish - go and give it a spin!

II on Bandcamp

As always - keep enjoying your stay at the discotheque.

Comments

Interview: The Phantom's Revenge

Hey everyone - welcome back at the discotheque! Today, we have an extremely special person in the blog's virtual hot seat - French master and house music legend The Phantom's Revenge - a pioneer of the late 2000s filter house scene who has influenced pretty much everyone in the modern filter house scene - and has since released for legendary labels such as Nervous, La Valigetta, Happiness Therapy and Montaime, remixed the likes of Peking Duk, Grum, Calvin Harris and Moullinex amongst many others, released several epic mixtapes which have received acclaim, he has millions of streams across various platforms - and he has played in over forty cities in a career that spans almost two decades and counting. It is an absolute honor, to have him on the blog - and without further ado, I'll let him do the talking! For those who don’t know you – who are you, where are you from, and what music do you make? Hi, I’m Anthony, I’m from Nîmes in the south of France - I have been making musi...

Interview: Ghosts of Venice

Hey everyone - welcome back at the discotheque! It's been a hot minute since there was an interview on the blog - and to make up for that, tonight we have somebody extremely special in the virtual hot seat - the incredible Ghosts of Venice. Known for his illustrious career spanning over a decade and a half - he's released on some of house music's biggest labels, produced some of the hottest tracks and remixes around, has over a billion streams under his belt - and he's also a pretty cracking DJ and promoter. With all of this in mind - I knew he had to get onto the blog! So, without further ado - I'll let him do the talking! For those who don’t know – who are you, what music do you make and where are you from? My name is Lee Dunn, and I’ve gone by many monikers over the years, but most people know me as Ghosts of Venice. These days I mostly make Disco, and I’m from North Yorkshire, England. If you had to describe your sound to someone who’s never listened to your mu...

Drops and news from the first two weeks of March!

Hey everyone - welcome back at the discotheque! We're now halfway through March (spring is finally arriving, yay!) - and over the last two weeks - there has been so, so many amazing released and a bunch of dope news. In this post - there are several people who regular readers will know - and also a bunch of new talents that are making their debut on the blog. Get the popcorn. This is going to be an extra special post! Let's get started! Discoholic (feat. Vampire Loves Sunny) - Sparkle On! One of my favourite releases to come out so far this year - the brand new single from Washington D.C based DJ, producer and multi-instrumentalist Discoholic is absolutely incredible - and it brings me so, so much joy. As always, the production on this single is absolutely phenomenal - it's effortlessly clean, sparkly (see what I did there?) and extremely bright and fun. As per usual, the instrumentation is gorgeous, rich and glittery - making it a perfect track to spin at parties, or just ...

Search This Blog