01. A Little Deeper
02. Acid Techno
03. Emotion
04. Ice 592
05. Project 1 London
06. Project 2 London
07. Stuck In A Train To Berlin
08. The Truth
09. This Shit Is Hot Re-Scrub
10. Train Ride To Offenbach
Jus-Ed is surely the most prolific component in the current wave of US Deep House producers. For his 2nd album this year he teams up with Japan's Mule Electronic for a standardly robust yet soulful journey into his sound. That sound has been shaped by a lifetime involved with dance music. He graduated from his studies in percussion at the University of Bridgeport in '82 and went on to DJ earliest House, '80s funk and R&B, before years of caning it took over and he returned at the start of the last decade with a tougher but more spiritual sound. The closest comparison we could make, aesthetically and productively, is Omar-S, but Ed has definitely got his own groove and identity within the scene. 'Vision Dance' is brimming with that restless soul, cutting across the floor between the sultry shuffle of 'A Little Deeper', to the rugged throb of 'Acid Techno', abstract jacks like 'Ice 592' and the two 'Project London' joints. But he's at his best when working with synths pads on the floating optimism of 'Stuck In A Train To Berlin', the hypnotic swing of 'This Shit Is Hot' or 'Train Ride To Offenbach'...www.boomkat.com
A1. DJ Jus-Ed - Maryland Jam
B1. Fred P. - It Is What It Is
B2. DJ Qu - AheadIf the praise being hurled toward the UQ crew is starting to sound a bit like a broken record, blame the guys making them. DJ Qu has come into his own in 2010, Fred P has continued his remarkable run and Jus-Ed...well...he's just Jus-Ed. You know? The trio unite on Semesters II, and it's business as usual, with each producer offering a distinct take on the deep house that they love so much.
Jus-Ed's simple and effective "Maryland Jam" beats anything on his underwhelming Next Level. He keeps thing shorter and sweeter than almost anything there, and layers on repeated snares and lovely bells over the usual synth washes. Fred P switches up the beat on "It Is What It Is," syncopating the normal 4/4 thump to give the track a driving momentum that contrasts perfectly with irresistibly slow synths that only complete their lengthy loops until you're completely locked in. Fred's a master at this, which is why despite knowing exactly where it's going, you can't wait to hear it anyway.
Finishing off things is yet another DJ Qu funhouse mirror masterpiece. Everything in it seems slightly off: The tentative piano playing that echoes awkwardly, the vocal sample that seems to say "fire in the hole" at random moments, the bleeps that just won't go away. And yet it works wonderfully. "Ahead" sounds like Hieroglyphic Being, if the Mathematics boss had spent more time listening to DJ Duke instead of Ron Hardy. "Ahead" indeed...www.residentadvisor.net
