Drawing on his deep roots as a linchpin of the New York City nightlife scene, Evan Michael steps into the spotlight with a debut EP for Kontrapunkt that immediately announces him as a talent to watch. The release arrives with a carefully curated sense of place and purpose, anchored by a collection of original productions that feel rooted in dance music’s past while pushing into vibrant, new territory. To expand the record’s reach across continents, Kontrapunkt has enlisted a formidable trio of remixers – Maks Légère from Berlin, Tokyo’s U-T, and Vilnius-based Nikita von Tiraspol – each reworking the source material through their distinct geographical and stylistic lenses. The result is a package that bridges the energy of New York’s dance floors with the nuanced grooves of Europe and beyond.

As Kontrapunkt’s big honcho, Nikita von Tiraspol delivers a remix that feels like a statement of intent. He grounds those effervescent synth lines in immersive, rolling rhythms that lock into a deep hypnotic trance. Lush pads drift through the arrangement like fog rolling in at dawn, while the drums – a true percussion extravaganza – hit with tactile, purposeful weight that commands the body to move. The track becomes a study in tension and release, allowing the melody to soar while the foundation remains unshakeable. A fitting centrepiece from the man steering the ship.

You can find (and buy) this and other music pearls on the Bandcamp page of the label.

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