Akira EP

He is the embodiment of modern-day electronic funk and a true wizard on the keys: Atlanta raised cool guy Byron the Aquarius.

Byron has a solid history on the label: He remixed Parker Madicine back in 2017 and did a mad solo on the 2019 released Dam Swindle track The life behind things. Weve done some shows together and stayed in touch while Byron was working together with Jeff Mills on his 2020 jazz crossover record Ambrosia on Axis. Now, after a solid string of releases on labels like Shall not Fade and Purveyor Underground, Byron is making his solo appearance on Heist. His Akira EP goes from dark basement grooves to dreamy broken beats and features a remix by New York dance music wizard Kush Jones.

The Akira EP kicks off with I love yo. In this track, Byron decides to leave his keys at home and goes in deep with a moody club workout. I love yo is a track that juxtaposes dreamy samples with rough percussion and vocal chops with a clear nod to the work of Mr. G. The melody is mellow, but dont be deceived; clever drum programming and plenty of sub take this track into the club vibe just the way Byron likes it: warm, hazy and sexy AF.

Byron is not known for delivering straightforward house tunes, but when he does deliver them, he does it in style. Enter Get up; the A2 of the EP. Theres everything we love about house music: smart vocal chops, driving percussion, classic house keys and a booming sub to get you bumping to this beat.

The B-side sees Byron up the tempo and take a deep dive into bass territory with Love. In this track, theres lush pads running over a percussive broken beat and chopped R n B vocals to add some serious sex appeal. Its deceptively simple and clean but ever so catchy, which clearly shows Byrons prowess as an electronic music producer.

Going back to classic house mode, weve got Success: A spoken word house track that fits right in with the classics. Byron sets the mood with some bumpy key-and synth work while brainstorming about originality and blackness throughout the track. Even though the message underneath might be a serious one, Byron succeeds in delivering this in a fun, uplifting way that never gets pretentious or divisive.

The EP finishes with a remix by New Yorker Kush Jones. This is an artist who understands how to build a groove. He could take you anywhere from house to juke, footwork and techno, which is exactly why hes been getting so much love for his music recently. Kush is an artist who sees no boundaries in his music and still manages to create his own sonic universe. His remix of I love yo takes a dreamy approach with soft chords running over an electronic groove with a pure and improvised feel. All elements fit together perfectly and its the clever ad-hoc programming and arrangement that suck you into his unbounded world from the first beat.