Dana Ruh – Naturally

Label: Underground QualityRelease: Out Now

A lot has happened to Dana Ruh since first landing on our radar some years back thanks to her early work on Perspectiv. For one, she’s explored myriad sounds; the likes of which verge between house, techno and experimental planes and have seen her appear on esteemed labels a la Ostgut Ton, Buzzin Fly and Work Them. Recently, however, she really seems to have hit her production stride, with her own work on her Brouqade imprint the sort of grainy, fuzzy house fare that’s not lacking in warmth or personality. How apt, then, that she marks her album debut on Jus-Ed’s Underground Quality label, an imprint that knows a thing or two about releasing such well-honed productions.

Naturally is the name of the album in question, and boy, is it teeming with solid vibes aplenty. More steady than it is frenetic, this is a deep house LP in the truest sense of the word, with its many considered ramblings giving it an assured sound that’s imbued with jazz designs and various other assured moments.

And with each beat as considered and delicate as the next, it’s a wondrous LP from the outset too. Melancholic vibes abound on ”Don’t You Find Me”, a charming, happy go-lucky track that gets us going in emphatic fashion. ”Got To Work” keeps up the shining exterior rolling, although there are moments of murky bliss to revel in too, not least ”The Wish You Told Me” and my own personal pick, ”Just Don’t”, a track which channels classic Detroit like few others I’ve encountered of late.

”Train Ride To You” is similarly construed, and it’s a fitting way to sign off the LP, as Ruh allows the synths and a dose of almost tangible emotion to fully spread out and engulf the album in a gentle, beguiling haze. Ed, quite clearly, has done his homework on Ruh before asking her to provide an LP. This isn’t simply a triumph for Ruh, but it’s a triumph for the label too. Welcome to the UQ club, Dana Ruh.