After a short hiatus Phonica Records revives its deep-house focused Karakul imprint for Harry Wolfman's new 12" 'The Ritual'! Having produced a dozen 12's for labels such as Dirt Crew, Omena and Outplay, Harry has been honing his craft for the best part of a decade and you can hear how his sound has refined over the past few releases, reaching new heights with this latest record for Karakul. 'SMBC' kicks the 12" off in a laid-back style with its woodwind and brass samples complimenting bright pads and drums, reminiscent of MCDE, while the mellow and sultry 'Eva' is up next. On the flip 'Obi 1' takes things up a notch both in tempo and energy, working around a lo-fi drum loop and cunningly filtered bassline. Strings come to the fore halfway through making this a real uplifting gem, the mixture of instrumentation bringing to mind early Pepe Bradock. Finally 'The Ritual' rounds out the record in a mesmerising way, slowly introducing more and more elements and stirring the pot before fading out again. An original and fitting way to end the record.