Some records warm the room before you have figured out why. This one settles in low and soft, and a few bars later I noticed my shoulders had dropped. Truthlive calls it ‘Stand Strong,’ the lead cut on a two-track single, and the title fits the feeling exactly.
The groove walks instead of pushing, a rounded bassline and soft kick keeping everything in the pocket, and it carries that soulful, R&B blood Truthlive works in. The vocal floats in warm and unhurried, more comfort than hook, letting the track breathe. This is deep house that would rather hold you steady than knock you over, and where the pads open up it earns every bit of that patience.
Truthlive is a San Francisco producer who blends deep house with electronic soul, and EDMTunes and Magnetic Magazine have taken notice. ‘Stand Strong’ lands on Mise en Place, a label with a real ear for this warmer end of the sound. Dig into more of his work over at his bythewavs archive.
I save this one for the slow hour, the rooftop after the crowd has thinned and the sky going from black to grey. ‘Stand Strong / Reach Out’ is out now, and the Stand Strong side is playing below. Sit with it.
