Downtown house grooves from J Albert on 1080p. The versatile NYC producer can do it all - from grime beats as DJ Osom to jungle rhythms on Black Opal - but no matter what he does, he always keeps it "Strictly J." For his debut outing on Vancouver's 1080p imprint, Jio Albert takes inspiration from classic NYC house to deliver loose and jazzy percussive grooves to make the floor move. Think Soho "Hot Music" with a breezy 2016 twist. From the sound of it, the formula is working exceedingly well for J. Peep the skittering beats on "Pangs," or the scattered breaks of "All In" for a taste, then get on down to the refreshingly off-kilter bumps of "Strictly J," and the low-key banger "For SOHO." According to the label, J. Albert was listening to a lot of Buddy Rich, Bill Evans, and Jeremy Steig at the time of production... and it shows!

• music label: 1080p 2016

reviewed by Y3K 08/2016