Ooft! started out as a collaboration between Glaswegian pals Ali Herron and Graeme Clarke (aka The Revenge) as a vent for their pitched-down edits of old funk, classic soul and long lost disco records. Before long Herron assumed the Ooft! alias for himself, releasing on Instruments of Rapture, Dikso and Wolf Recordings amongst others, whilst his blog became the go-to place for clued-up disco devotees.
Herron’s latest – released on vinyl via his own label Foto Recordings towards the end of 2012 – lands on mp3 today. Its three tracks are typically versatile, starting at the smoother end of deep house and finishing on a thrilling disco burner.
The lead track opens with a deliberate, light-footed chug, a flicker of dreamy harp darting across its surface. A wispy vocal break enters at the half way mark, before giving way to an oscillating synth groove for the final stretch. (The digital release also comes with a dub cut, fitted with some thudding bass and chunky piano stabs). ‘Galaxy High’ maintains a similar chug – with added bounce and some stretching, woozy pads.
Whilst the first two might fit nicely into a warm-up set, ‘LGB’ is the most exuberantly floor-friendly of the three – and arguably the highlight here – wielding a big slapping snare and sleazy 80’s disco hook. As the thing moves forward the synths become tougher, unfurling into hefty, growling slabs of reverb. It’s a catchy, slightly dirty vocal heater sure to set peak-time floors alight.
Foto Recordings | Released: March
Digital bonus:
