Raw District and Rôdham Deliver a Transcendent Slice of Tech House on “In Maluta”

Individually and collectively, Belgian duo Raw District (Vernon Bara and Massimo DaCosta) have appeared on some of the finest deep and tech house labels, including OM Records, Get Physical, Hot Creations, Visionquest, Moon Harbour, and Crosstown Rebels. It’s an impressive pedigree that only improves with their latest release, the Long Dream EP, out this Friday on Davide Squillace’s This and That Lab label.

With support from fellow Belgian Rôdham on the featured cut “In Maluta,” Raw District creates a jungle-like sonic canopy, enveloping you in mysterious sounds that ricochet in the dark. Disembodied voices peek in and out of the atmosphere. A tribal ping creates a sense of urgency. An ominous chord builds to a spooky crescendo. There is a lot of pagan rattling and muttering going on in “In Maluta,” but it’s set against a stripped-down space, so the end result is a sleek, transcendent slice of tech house. Bara and DaCosta supposedly formed Raw District to explore darker and deeper shades of house, and on “In Maluta,” they succeed fabulously.

Available January 25 via This and That Lab.