[Aim]

After four releases, Aim is starting to resemble a few other German houses of tasteful house. The Berlin label is clearly in the mold of Smallville and Dial/Laid in its emphasis on reserved, borderline melancholic music. Sun Avenue compiles tracks by prior contributors and new faces alike, and solidly furthers this aesthetic. The record opens with Jacques Bon & Nicolas Villebrun’s “Pyramid,” on which a standard, low-key house rhythm meets a serene organ-and-pads arrangement. It isn’t radically unique, but it’s blessed with an exceptionally pleasant mood. Unknown producer’s OCP’s “Raise Your Legs” is rough and overdriven and feels like it’s rocking back and forth. The track is laced with filtered organ stabs and a thin string line that resembles a siren, doubly ratcheting up the intensity.

Christopher Rau’s material usually tends toward subtle, dreamy arrangements, but “For You And For Me” is all hard edges, dark and slightly acidic. It does, however, feature the scrambled vocal samples that are becoming a kind of trademark for him, and these eventually meld with some scratchy, rave-inspired chords as the track reaches its apex. XDB’s “Balance,” meanwhile, negotiates between pounding kicks and knots of lightheaded synths. Although there’s nothing displeasing about this mixture, the track lacks a sense of build, seeming overly condensed into a sub-five minute runtime.

On “Nasty Nate,” Oskar Offermann and Moomin reunite for the first time since last year’s stellar Hardmood/Joe MacDaddy 12″. Their formula is intact — a sleek, linear rhythm meets a shimmering soul sample (or replication of one), and is repeated until completion. Oliver Deutschmann’s “Gasolinum” is the most abstract thing here — shuffling hi-hats and considerable bass heft sit in a wash of noise as quiet glimmers of melody attempt to poke out. Ron Deacon’s “The Rhythm” closes the record in epic style, clocking in at over 11 minutes. It’s slowly evolving, atmospheric deep house, and very easy to get lost in, in the best way possible. Although Sun Avenue doesn’t have the highs of, say, Offermann and Moomin’s record from last year, it ably showcases the label’s talented roster and hints at a bright future.