If Adam Marshall’s latest EP, “Vespers,” is to be interpreted as an evensong, it should be played in a house of worship most fitting its utilitarian nature: a night club, warehouse or anywhere a thick bass bin beckons. The Christian iconography depicted on the record’s inner label art speak to the EP’s titular concept but the two tracks featured here will most assuredly not be getting air time in any Sunday school classes. After DJing and producing from a Toronto base for nearly 2 decades it seems that a re-location to (surprise, surprise) Berlin has brought new attention his way. Last year’s “Chord Tracking” turned heads with its punchy, inspired tech-house and as evidenced by his LWE Podcast (precise mixing and a taste for house and techno that runs wide and far), the man knows a thing or two about what will work for the dance floor.

“Vespers” is at first glance a straightforward house track. The prominent kick drum, flanged shakers and subtle bongos of the first two minutes play right into the script for what could have been standard Ibadan fare, but instead Marshall takes it down an altogether different path. The moody, staccato keyboard melody, a palpitating arpeggio and a misting of found sound rahttp://wwwdio waves give “Vespers” a dark, psychedelic feel that creates an intriguing juxtaposition to the backing rhythm. With “Deep Knight Track,” on the other hand, Marshall wastes no time developing syntax and instead hits the ground running. The delayed keyboard vamps are purely Detroit-inspired in their energy and the layered percussion brings a solid, if perfunctory flow. But with little development of the overall melody and a noticeable lack of low-end dynamism “Deep Knight Track” stays true to its name and functions as just that, a track. Don’t take that as a slight. Marshall understands the value of putting malleable tools into the hands of DJs, like himself, who know how to put them to work.

Beyond producing quality house music for Thema, Cynosure, and Dumb-Unit (among others), Adam Marshall is also the head honcho for the up-and-coming New Kanada and KUJI labels. So when he sent LWE this exclusive new mix which seamlessly spans deep-house and techno with personalized edits, we knew it needed to be shared with the world.

Download: LWE Podcast 06: Adam Marshall (62:43)

Tracklisting:

01. Seth Troxler, “Love Never Sleeps” [Crosstown Rebels]
02. Minimal Man, “Make A Move” [Trelik]
03. Goldwill, “Book Duty” [Musik Gewinnt Freunde]
04. Mr. G, “Sometimez I Cry” (Radio Slave’s Panama Garage Remix) [Oproof]
05. Boola & Demos, “Toon” [a:rpia:r] (edit)
06. Mirco Violi, “Movida” (Kreon’s Marmol Remix) [Be Chosen] (edit)
07. Mathias Kaden, “Perclue” [GS]
08. Ane Brun, “Headphone Silence” (Henrik Schwarz Remix/Dennis Ferrer NoiZy Edit) [Objectivity] (edit)
09. The Sunburst Band, “Journey To the Sun” (Dennis Ferrer Dub) [Z Records]
10. Robert Hood, “Untitled” [Cheap]
11. Rose, “Macadame Shamanbo” [liebe*detail] (edit)
12. Bam Bam, “Where’s Your Child?” [Desire Records] (edit)
13. Norman Nodge, “Native Rhythm” [Osgut Ton] (edit)
14. Dettmann & Klock, “Places” [Ostgut Ton] (edit)
15. Plasmik, “Mindpattern” (Afrilounge’s Deep String Mix) [Connaisseur] (edit)
16. Phonogenic, “Smoking On a Loop” [Cocoon] (edit)
17. Function, “Burn” [Sandwell District]
18. Agnès, “Short On D” [Resopal Red]
19. Robert Dietz, “Lost Horizons” [Cécille Numbers] (edit)
20. Surgeon, “Atol” [Downwards] (edit)
21. Gavin Herlihy, “Praia Brava” (Jesse’s Made To Play Dub) [True To Form] (edit)
22. Dennis Ferrer, “Touched the Sky” (Joe’s Dub Beats) [King St. Sounds] (edit)
23. Raz Ohara, “Whitmey Na” [Kindisch]
24. Global Communication, “14:31″ [Sublime Records]

Read an interview with Adam Marshall after the jump.

When and where did you make the mix?

Adam Marshall: The mix was done at home. At night. With friends.

What’s the concept behind the mix?

No concept per se. Hopefully it evokes a late night at a good club — soulful, dark and raw.

Who are a few of your favorite DJs and why?

Hmmm… classics would be Derrick Carter, Theo Parrish, D-Wynn, Mike Huckaby, Harri, A Place Called Bliss, Murat, Laurent Garnier, DJ Harvey and Jeff Mills. Current faves would include Zip, Marc Schneider, Agnes, Cassy, Marcel Dettmann, Karizma along with Jeremy P.Caulfield, Mike Shannon, Jeff Milligan and DJ Traxx. Why? Because they have love and passion for the music they’re playing. And apart from possessing unique styles, technical skill and good taste, they can rock a club pretty hard . The whole DJ-experience is so environment-dependent I always find it hard to say who I like and who I don’t, but I know all of the above mentioned DJs have sent chills up my spine on numerous occasions.

What can we expect from you for the rest of the year?

I have a remix of a Seth Troxler track coming out on Crosstown Rebels in September, and a remix of Mike Shannon on his Cynosure label later in the year, among others. The next New Kanada release in October will be a track of mine called “Man and Nature,” with killer remixes from The Mole and Miss Fitz. There are also a few things in the pipeline for KUJI that I’m really excited about — new artists and new (mis)directions…

Download: LWE Podcast 06: Adam Marshall