Simon Doty – Hometown EP [Anjunadeep]

Canadian producer Simon Doty returns to Anjunadeep with fresh fire in the form of EP ‘Hometown‘, featuring collaborative lead track and absolute banger ‘Lay Me Down‘ with emerging talent Artche, out now. Since his Anjunadeep debut on 2019’s Explorations 11 with ‘Sama’, Doty’s five stand-out EPs swiftly made him a label favourite. The self-taught tech maestro’s reputation for deep melodic house fired with dance energy has secured support from the likes of Pete Tong, Danny Howard, Phil Taggart, Gorgon City, Cassian, Jax Jones, Lane 8, and releases on Knee Deep In Sound, Realm Records, and This Never Happened.

‘Hometown‘, the first single, which snared multiple top-tier radio plays including two from Pete Tong, opens the EP, with Ursula Rucker’s assertively cool vocals complementing a Simon-signature bass and poignant piano chords. Next is ‘Lay Me Down‘; in this dancefloor-filling Doty/Artche collaboration, juddering Moroder-style modular bass and choppy synth notes back an intriguing vocal from UK-based producer/vocalist Artche, best known for his Beatport #1 ‘The World You See’ with Cristoph and Franky Wah. ‘Solstice‘ is a more thoughtful, multi-layered track featuring playful fluttering arps over a driving growly bass. The EP closes with ‘Trance Tool‘: a fast and furious cyclone of danceability paying homage to Doty’s darker club side.