Simon Doty – The Beacon [Knee Deep In Sound]

Simon Doty returns to Hot Since 82’s Knee Deep In Sound imprint with killer two-tracker ‘The Beacon,’ hot on the heels of his remix of Marsh ‘Beech Street’ and his heavily lauded 4 tracker ‘Dear Ben’ (both Anjunadeep).

True to Doty’s reputation for prolific high quality output, the B side is as strong as the A. Each track alone will ignite dancefloors, while together they create sparks as a complementary pair. Says Simon, ‘Lockdown has sent me more in the direction of clubbier and housier music. It’s a way to help me have fun and remember simpler times.’

In the title track, cool laid-back piano chords and the summery female vocal of Gaelle Adisson (from the Ananda Project’s ‘Cascades of Colour’) conjure a sophisticated disco homage, with fast pizzicato strings keeping things jumping until the breakdown.

‘In Your Feelings’ brings a heavier groove from the off, with rattling percussion and a plangent bass riff set off by a more emotive male vocal. This is one of those perfect peak time builders, with a breakdown that will have you yearning for the dancefloor.

Typically combining emotion, dance vibes and techy chops, Doty says of ‘The Beacon’: ‘It felt like a perfect fit for Knee Deep In Sound, and Daley played it on his iconic summer Mixmag stream. It features vintage and classic strings from the Korg M1. The bassline was done with the Sub 37, the drums on my Analog Rytm, and the arp part came from the Prophet 6.’