[Live At Robert Johnson]

Phillip Lauer’s day job consists of running Brontosaurus Records, forming respective halves of Arto Mwambe and Tuff City Kids, and still finding the time to release his own records as Lauer. Considering the spread of his interests he still manages to pack each of his releases with what you feel is something a little bit extra. His latest 12″ for Live At Robert Johnson carries all of Lauer’s hallmark consistencies in the graceful, melancholic groove of “H.R. Boss” and the Italo by-way-of Detroit disco mover “Banned.”

Lauer coaxes tender moments from his machines on “HR Boss,” bringing together searching marimbas, a downcast bass line and dispirited, aching strings to weave around each other in a tearful, beautiful dance. If done wrong, a track of this sentiment would appear to be a poorly assembled cliché of its true intentions, but as it plays it’s apparent that everything meshes wonderfully, leaving you with a feeling of the fresh, golden sunlight of a new day washing over your face. On the B-side, “Banned” charts a distinct blend of Italo and Detroit sensibilities, mapping out its own brand of cosmic funk. Distinctly more dance floor rooted than the dreamy sigh of “HR Boss,” “Banned” nonetheless is full of equal measures of analogue warmth, with pulsing monosynths carving out space over the wriggling, disco-oriented bass and Motor City melodies. The juxtaposition between the Italo and Detroit sounds works surprisingly well, as again, it would be easy to get this wrong and end up with a jarring mash of ill-conceived ingredients. But Lauer finds a respectful balance between the two, propelling the track forward with these disparate elements. Deftly juggling the many hats he wears, Lauer delivers a solid and engaging two-tracker to Live At Robert Johnson.