Maelstrom could be mistaken for the newest kid on the scene, coming out of nowhere and dropping releases on prestigious labels like Dirtybird and BNR Trax in less than one year, but in reality hes far from being a kid, as a matter of fact hes more of a daddy. And I mean this more in a 'having a child' way than in a ˜Im house musics daddy and Im gonna make her my bitch' way, except the latter is exactly what hes about to do with his new œUSSR EP on Sound Pellegrino. Hailing from the quiet yet culturally effervescent city of Nantes, France, Maelstrom has been around for a while, operating in the shadow, DJing all around the world in various underground circles of no-joke techno and breaks. He also has a career as a more abstract UK bass producer under the name Joaan, crafting beautifully deep and haunting beats for 7even recordings. But the œUSSR EP is no deep and haunting business, this is a straightforward, raw and modern take on Miami bass and early electro with a techno twist made by a guy whos experienced enough to have lived these scenes in their heyday. This is the music the Russian soldier girl in Elton Johns œNikita video likes to shake her booty to. œUSSR is the more straightforward tracky beat of the bunch. Menacing and merciless like a musical machine gun execution, it also has a groove that says œhey chill this is just music, we aint killin anybody, now what are you waiting for, dance m*therf*cker!, so at the end of the day, its all good. We at Sound Pellegrino are super proud to have obtained a remix brilliantly executed by South African house music star Aero Manyelo. Weve been in touch with Manyelo ever since he found out that we played one of his tracks on the Sound Pellegrino podcast. He immediately sent us a good portion of his huge catalog and we were blown away by his unique blend of house, finding influences in Kwaito riddims but also the trademark South African dark motor pitch shifting techno sounds. Theres no doubt his œUSSR remix, in all its originality and vicious efficiency, will be a dancefloor favorite. Candidly titled œHouse Music, the second track on the EP balances the darkness of œUSSR with a more light-hearted approach and a happier vibe. It also has a clear function for DJs: to serve as a transition from bass to four-to-the-floor house and vice-versa. Simple, functional, brilliant. DJ Dodger Stadium (Body High) deliver an excellent remix in their trademark pumping gangster chicago underground construction 3.0 internetland hard house vibe.