Born out of a melange of *tender* and melancholy vibes and *tuff* and heavy beats is Brooklyn label Super Tuff Records. The imprint, run by young buck M. Vaughan, launched a couple months ago with a V/A hosting the likes of DJ Aakmael, Jesse Bru, Moony Me and the label boss himself. ST002 maintains the various artist format of the inaugural release, inviting Tommy Vicari Jnr and Mara Lakour to join Bolting Bits faves Long Island Sound and Luvless on the 12″ slab of plastic.
In the A1 groove comes our premiere, and Leipzig-based Luvless’ contribution to the release, “Vary In Colour”. It’s a trademark Luvless track in the best sense; a thick drum machine and synth bass combo serving as the foundation for ethereal grand piano riffs. The flow of the track is executed perfectly; building tension with strings and clever filtering, while percussion and hats layer in to really get the affair moving. It’s–in short–an anthemic track–rising nicely to a brief refrain before unleashing the full energy of the progression in the final third of the arrangement. “Vary In Colour” is purely bittersweet; at once beautifully uplifting and full of sad nostalgia. An ode to the joyous, fleeting moments in life and dance.
Package-wise, Long Island Sound’s moody groover “I Chose You Because” rounds out the A, while the B explores brighter, tribal-inspired endeavours. It’s an interesting balance between the four cuts, which again displays the label’s ability to bring together different styles and sounds for a cohesive grouping that still feels *Super Tuff*. Overall it’s both a solid continuation of the deliberation behind 001, and a slight expansion of the imprint’s range.
Super Tuff 002 will be available on 180 gram viny soon enough (in the next couple weeks from what we’re hearing), so be sure to set that release reminder on Juno!
Martín