Joshua James - Marlene (w/ Deetron Remix) [PH97]

Joshua James continues a run of infectious singles on Phantasy with a brooding, dreamlike turn into the night on ‘Marlene’, accompanied by two contrasting remixes from Swiss master, Deetron.

Beginning with the timeless texture of joyous, eighties NYC house, ‘Marlene’ soon introduces an inquisitive vocal sample, as an elegant conversation explores love and tolerance. Nonetheless, leaving little time for chin stroking, the track instead cautiously circles the pleasure at the epicentre of the dance floor, venturing into more introspective, late-night territory, culminating in an unexpected and cathartic release of psychedelic electro. Reflecting the energy and imagination of his weekly residency at XOYO called Pleasurehood, James delivers a sophisticated, queer take on contemporary house that pays off in sheer bliss.

With a cemented reputation as one of the world’s most intuitive and imaginative remixers, Deetron carefully rebuilds 'Marlene' twice over. On his initial remix, he adopts a shuffling 4/4 bassweight, zoning in on an unintelligible snippet of the track’s sample, creating slowly escalating, sweat-inducing club pressure. Suddenly, fluttering keys and deep chords send us into a deeper direction, from the rave to the lounge and back again. Meanwhile, the Filter Dub is tailor-made and tested for after-hours selectors with a thirst for the esoteric.