MUMBAI: Two years in the making and Hot Since 82’s new full-length album 8-track is finally here. It has been well worth the wait.

Created in the midst of a hectic touring schedule and while mourning his best friend, 8-track presents the breadth of Hot Since 82’s ever-impressive work as a producer, holding up a mirror to his DJ sets in the process. Merging his electric range of influences into his driving house and techno templates, it’s a deeply personal record that reflects a challenging time in his life. It is a record made for dance floors but which holds enough depth and diversity to demand repeated listening anywhere and everywhere outside of clubs and festivals.

Hot Since 82, Daley Padley says, “Proceeds from this album will be donated to Mind which is a mental health charity committed to supporting those in need by promoting good mental health and offering high-quality support so that no-one feels alone when dealing with mental health problems. This is a cause very close to my heart as I have lost a dear friend who battled mental health problems.” 

The album begins in gracious style with the gently trance-tinged rolling house of Vapours, where brooding bass underpins heavenly vocal snippets, tense synth chords and warm arpeggios. Tilted injects some loose bass line funk with Italo house synth sequences that hark back to the early ‘90s with their subtle sense of euphoria. Buggin has already proved a massive hit, with Jem Cooke’s sultry vocals woven over a chugging bass groove and swelling to a heady crescendo that is more than the sum of its parts. Recent single, You Are The Light is another standout track with a soulful vocal that glides on chugging slabs of relentless bass and a teasingly dark mood.

Therapy is the album’s stunning centrepiece, a melodic house roller with an emotive vocal that recalls classic house music with its impassioned feel. Sweeping atmospherics and spine-tingling chimes blend perfectly with the melancholy feel. Bloodlines has already been a massive smash on dance floors worldwide, and its blend of classic tribal and progressive house flavours still sound incredibly fresh as part of this collection.

Street Lights heads into lush deep house territory with its delayed, filtering chord stabs and sensual spoken word vocal. Remains Of The Day is a slow-burning techno monster with orchestral undertones, its mystical vocal refrain swirling over sweeping, whirring pad sounds and chunky, layered percussion. Secret bonus track Rest Your Head brings the album to a fitting close with its slo-mo, chilled beats and ambient textures — the perfect comedown after this wild ride across the dance floor.