Miami bass plus secrecy plus IDM equals Chicago record label Chocolate Industries

He hides behind layers of avatars as a general rule (“Seven,” A faux-ly named Facebook account, etc) but the man behind the Chicago record label Chocolate Industries makes his personal tastes very well known, indeed. Take Push Button Object‘s IDM with a hard dose of hip hop, Half Dozen album. Co-released with IDM stalwart Schematic, it is IDM that takes the scenic route. It feels like hip hop, ala Merck via its Machinedrum releases. And then it goes straight local hip hop with releases by Chicago-natives The Cool Kids. To make a long story short, the man knows what he likes, and when it has that sticker of his brand, you will be assured it’s genuinely something he loves and wants to share with the world.

Now we arrive at Personal Space, Chocolate’s latest take on electronic soul in the form of a guest-curated compilation. Complete with the sound of a needle hitting the record, it’s definitely retro, but the soul factor seeps through, and the “electronic” part seems a given… it’s future-forward considering the time it was released, and it transports you to a time and place that, frankly, is one in which I wouldn’t mind owning a swinging bachelor pad, complete with the highest level hi-fi available.

And here’s the thing: it’s got SOUL. I hate to be the bearer of bad news to some, but to those of you that are die-hard fans of Deadmau5, Daft Punk, and that ilk exclusively, you’re missing the point. You’re being played.

Personal Space is educational, and it’s real. It comes from the heart of someone who knows things and wants to share. Sit down and listen, and imagine yourself in the space it creates. Let it move you, let it inspire you, and go from there.

Oh, and yes: the Reader knows what’s up.