Get ready to lose yourself in the most hypnotic house sounds around. Lubelski is here with his debut album, The Universal Groove. The 9-track album features some names that have been making noise amongst the underground house and tech house scene, as well as, beyond. Names that you may recognize are Kaleena Zanders, Wyatt Marshall (Dirtybird), RYBO (Desert Hearts), Durante (This Never Happened, Anjunadeep), and MOONZz.
The aptly named The Universal Groove is exactly that. It’s an unrelenting groove from start to end. The titular track and the first one to fill the eardrums sets in motion a grandiose exploration of sizzling underground dance sounds. It feels and sounds like something that came from the original era of house music that became the score to the marginalized groups across the globe. For those who know the ballroom scene or at least know what it is, “The Universal Groove” has a style and feeling that seems perfect for that world. In a way, it’s kind of like how Duke Dumont’s “Red Light Green Light”, which directly samples from the ballroom.
“Slippin'” and “Somebody Like You” get a little bassier and a little more synth-y, which creates a nervy, rambunctious atmosphere. It’s these variations that weave together a sonic tale fit to intrigue the mind from start to finish. In today’s streaming world, it’s become rarer to hear an album with depth and cohesion that goes beyond the same beat and pop-focused vocal.
Then comes “Can’t Rewind”, Lubelski’s collaboration with Wyatt Marshall, who has been making a name for himself with the Dirtybird crew. The modular-laced sound design is nothing short of extraordinary. The sound swells and bubbles with the intensity of a thousand suns or at least as much as underground club music can swell without turning into something completely different. It’s the perfect antidote for bored dancefloors and is my favorite track on the album.
From “Can’t Rewind”, Lubelski unveils collaborations with MOONZz, Durante, Rodney and Morpei, and Musashi to closeout the back half of The Universal Groove. Without giving too much away, each of these tracks gets a bit spacey with a delicious amount of thump from the bass, a shot of weirdness, and the masterful sound design that earmarks the entire album. It’s worth listening to these tracks without hearing my description or opinion, as they present a fresh, emphatic vibe and emotional connection that is often lost in today’s focus on singles.
To better understand the insatiable groove that is The Universal Groove, Lubelski provided us with the following insight:
The Universal Groove LP is sort of an embodiment of my love for dance music and its indifference back to me. I believe the title track speaks for the whole album, when Kaleena says “the beat doesn’t care about you, it doesn’t care about your issues, your problems. We all come here together to forget all of that, to lose ourselves to the rhythms of the universe. That’s why we call house, the universal groove.
Creatively, I wanted to keep the record underground but accessible. I was trying to make music that was modern, yet timeless. Most of the synth work was made with my modular rig, and over the last couple years has become a massive staple in my sound design in the studio.
Lubelski may not be an artist you’ve heard of before, but he’s definitely on the rise and one that will be at the forefront of the original house and underground sounds. The Universal Groove is proof of that and is one of the few albums that can be played from start to finish and serve as the backdrop of dance euphoria.
To stream The Universal Groove follow the link here or scroll down for the Spotify embed.
