Paul Keeley "Midnight Sunset EP"

Montreal based Paul Keely has been releasing music online for netlabels for the last couple of years but, after dropping his debut album “Blunt Etiquette” on Epsilonlab, his profile began to grow. Australian label, EQ Grey took notice and signed him to release his next single. This double A-Side release looks to see Keeley further refining his “deep and techy” sound.

Opener “Tokyo Midnight” has a great title, and I was anxious to hear what Keeley had cooked up. Things start off dark and dirty as a rumbling bassline growls and moody atmospherics set the scene. Wasting no time at all, the main melody makes its way to the forefront and keeps in vein with the retro sounds that have dominated dancefloors over the last few years. The best bits for me though lie towards the track’s closing when the melody is dropped in favor of some backwards vocals, spacey synths and that fantastic bassline. It’s almost as if Keeley has provided the foundation for a fantastic transition to your next tune. Use this one early on in your set.

On the next track, “Sunset Boulevard,” Keeley completely changes things up as he heads off in deep house territory. As a fan of the genre, I can hear this tune dropping peaktime at any number of Ibiza closing parties. There’s a strong central melody (again), this time surrounded by layers of synths, strings and a simple squelchy bassline.

Overall, it’s hard to argue with a one-two punch like this. “Sunset Boulevard’s” summertime glow is in stark contrast to “Tokyo Midnight’s” dark and twisted take. But both tunes are well produced and should find a home in any number of sets, from tech to deep house. With tunes like these, it won’t be long before Paul Keeley becomes a firm favorite in some of the biggest DJ bins around.