Marquis Of Hawkes

Berlin-based electronic mainstay Marquis Hawkes presents his second album, The Marquis of Hawkes on Fabric's in-house label Houndstooth. Ahead of this, Hawkes released two new EPs one month apart from each other, featuring acclaimed UK soul singer Jamie Lidell. Both this, and the essential previous single, "Don't U", which featured the vocal talents of Ursula Rucker, will appear on The Marquis of Hawkes with an extended version. The album will be the producer's second LP for Houndstooth, following his critically acclaimed debut Social Housing for the label, which was released in 2016 (HTH 058CD/LP). The Marquis of Hawkes adheres to a specific sound palette whilst still displaying eclecticism across it's eight tracks. Opening with the beat-less droning ambience of "Beton Theme", the album takes in a variety of themes from across the house music spectrum, from the deep and dubby meditation of "Instrument Of Thought" to the body-jerking rhythms and retro bass stabs of "Tough Love", the introspective mood of "The Matrix", to the soulful New Jersey styled house grooves with a contemporary twist of "Sunset", building through the optimistic joyousness of "Hope In Our Hearts" before closing with Lidell's heartfelt and passionate emotional overload on "We Should Be Free". First emerging in 2012, after being sought out by Glasgow label Dixon Avenue Basement Jams and having previously been heavily involved with the free festival sound-system culture, the London born artist's iconic sound has taken shape with the influence of music from cities like Chicago, Detroit, and New York alongside the UK's underground house scene. With both depth and clarity of vision, Marquis Hawkes's second album for Houndstooth expertly hones a shining hybrid of classic slamming house and grittily soulful optimism, making for a career-defining piece of work.