Time to give this label more shine. They don’t put their own name in neon or fill reams of superlative copy praising their own goodness, but they should. I called Closer To Truth one of my top 5 labels in underground house back in 2016 and I’ll die on that hill now too: if I’ve ever got a need or a fiending for dope tracks, CTT is my main supplier. There are records they released a month or a year ago that I’m hearing for the first time, from artists with names that are just a couple of nouns shoved together, and they blow me away. It’s such a vast catalog that if you lost everything to a robbery or a fire or if all of your electronics shorted out in a renegade solar flare, you could still outfit yourself as a working DJ and make it through the weekend using nothing but this single label’s tracks. The label attracts talent from around the world and more importantly finds unacknowledged talent from around the world. The variety of talent and what that talent does keeps CTT from ever becoming stale or samey, the way some labels start to sound samey after a dozen or so releases.
And for those who aren’t into this shit, it’s hard to understand that “deep house” and “garage” aren’t narrow, limiting parameters — that there are still unknown and unexplored areas between them. Platzdasch & Dix are a pair of those explorers, and you can see the notes from their raiding campaign on Apparent Movement. The German duo made up of producer David Platzdasch and pianist / keyboardist Holger Dix cultivate moods rather than making cookie-cutter dancefloor bangers-on-demand. The title track evokes a DJ Krush, ultra-lush hip hop sound — there’s a huge emphasis on beats the whole way through, but especially on this one. “Leaf Crown” is a colorful mandala of sound and texture — the high wire lead from “Summer Madness” drops in for one exquisite moment before giving way to what sounds like a trumpet tied in knots. It’s genuinely a bummer when this record ends.
⚪️ Tracklisting
Platzdasch & Dix: Apparent Movement (Closer To Truth / Digital)
1. Platzdasch & Dix: Apparent Movement (7:00)
2. Platzdasch & Dix: Leaf Crown (6:32)
3. Platzdasch & Dix: Salient Point (6:33)
4. Platzdasch & Dix: Blackwood (Mannix Funked Up Remix) (6:10)
⚪️ Disclosure Statement
This record was submitted as a promo.
⚪️ Previous Coverage
⚪️ Luminescence: Remembering Conrad Colson (2023)
⚪️ im/Print: Closer To Truth and David Nicol (2017)
⚪️ Henna Onna releases the gorgeous “Midori no Basho” (2023)
⚪️ Closer to Truth Celebrates 40 Releases with Hotevilla & Javonntte on “If I Told You” (2020)
⚪️ Radar: Intr0beatz (2017)
5 Mag Issue 206
Out Now
MOVE: This was originally published in 5 Mag Issue #206 featuring DJ, dancer, teacher and producer Coflo, Alland Byallo, Phil Kieran, DJ Rocca, Jeff Mills’ Metropolis Metropolis and more. Help keep our vibe alive and our shine bright by becoming a member for $2/month and get every issue in your inbox right away!
