For all intents and purposes, Stockholm’s Johan Cederberg (a.k.a. HNNY) is still relatively new to the game, with just a few 12″s on Swedish house imprints Studio Barnhus and Local Talk to his name. Let’s Play House seems to have a bit of a Swedish fixation of late, and it’s tipped Cederberg as another promising voice. The polished, pumping house originals on Mys/Kela fit in well enough with the label’s aesthetic, but the remixes, from Young Marco and Shakarchi & Stranéus, are what really make the package worth checking.
Even so, Cederberg’s “Mys” is an immediately imposing introduction. Its powerful R&B “ahhs” seem to signify, like the Soul II Soul acapella that opens Belly, that something major is going to happen. This sadly isn’t the case. Its pokey bassline is infectious enough, but beyond it, the vocals simply get rinsed out, as they’re repeated throughout the track with little in the way of development. Amsterdam’s Young Marco proves his talent yet again on the remix, though. The track’s tensely kinked rhythm is cut with a wonderfully plinky melody, and the vocals are only deployed when it all seems fit to burst. It’s a fine slice of the tropical-synthetic house he’s so good at; think of him as a kind of young Roman Flügel, set apart from his peers by his music’s simultaneous exuberance and control. Cederberg’s “Kela” is a solid slice of garagey house, replete with dusky organ, synth sax, and more soul vocals, but it’s not especially unique, especially in the wake of so much recent garage revivalism. Fellow Swedes Shakarchi & Stranéus reduce it to a low-key bounce, highlighted by blobby square bass and heady filter tricks. It’s a playful salvaging of a track that’s a bit too hung up on clichés to succeed on its own.
