“Music is good for the mind / ain’t nothing healthier than having a good time”.Time Zones is the dance music project of Dan Gentile and Jack Murphy. The two began making music together in 2014 while living in Austin, Texas. Their work is rooted in the appreciation of soulful house music and dollar bin disco singles.Dan is a DJ with fifteen years experience performing as a member of Austin-based DJ crew Flying Turns. He writes about music for outlets like VICE and Wax Poetics. Jack’s musical background is playing bass and piano in a variety of contexts: a jazz ensemble, small groups, free jazz scenarios, funk jam sessions, and a psych rock band. By day he is a designer and writer.
After posting a collection of ten early tracks online in April 2019, their music caught the attention of Mystery Zone Records founder Hiatt Becker, a Texas native living in New Orleans. Becker, a DJ and producer in his own right, started MZR as an offshoot of Mystery Zone, his pop-up party series in clubs and DIY spaces across New Orleans.
The Vibe Shack EP wears its influences on its chipboard, disco single sleeve. Crackling litigation-worthy samples loop over an assembly of live (read: non-quantized) tracked instruments, including a Korg PolySix, Roland JX-3P, modular synthesizer, and a broken x0xb0x, giving each cut that lively, human touch. Also included is a punchy Unknown FM remix of the title track produced by Becker himself.
The tunes have been mastered hot by Benoit D at Perception Mastering for maximum dance floor impact. The EP will be available on 180g vinyl in a run of 300 copies on November 8th courtesy of the New Orleans Record Press; request it at your local record store or purchase online.
Pre-orders available now on the MZR bandcamp page. Mystery Zone Records is a New Orleans-based label on a mission to share dance music of the American Gulf South with the world. Vibe Shack is the label’s first physical release.