DJ-Kicks: Disclosure (2LP) [!K7]

For a duo whose youthful energy rejuvenated the world of house music in the early 2010s, it seems incredible that Disclosure are now into their second decade of musical life. The incredible vigour of those early records, the spark of invention and always-on musical drive, remains with Disclosure brothers Howard and Guy Lawrence to this day. Their third album, 2020’s ENERGY, was aptly named, with house, breakbeats, disco, UK Garage, electro, soul, R&B, hip hop, and a panoply of percussion from around the world combining bracingly as the Lawrence brothers breathed musical life into the midst of the pandemic.

The emphasis throughout DJ Kicks is on movement. After a short ambient intro from Pépe’s Life Signs, Disclosure keep the energy high, in a mix that showcases the wonderful malleability of a house beat in the right hands. From sub-bass to disco samples to 303 squelches, all are welcome in the house of Disclosure, with the mix allowing individual tracks breathing room even as the rhythm remains nimble.

“Most of the mix showcases what can be done with house,” says Guy. “And basically that’s our career: trying to push house forward, whether it’s with songwriting or using different genres or languages. The mix should represent where we’re at now; and where we’re at now is celebratory.”

ENERGY may have confirmed Disclosure’s place at the top of the dance music tree, but Guy likens the duo’s DJ Kicks to the sets they might play at afterparties and smaller shows, rather than their huge headline gigs. “If you put us in Phonox in Brixton, we’re gonna play a lot of this stuff, it’s a good representation of that,” Guy concludes, “what we’re gonna play at a sweaty rave in a basement.”