Tash's Movement Recordings opens the month of February with a new EP from Simos Tagias. Since first emerging nearly a decade ago, the Greek artist has continued to earn the praise of progressive music tastemakers Cid Inc, Guy J, Hernan Cattaneo and Nick Warren. Revered imprints such as Higher States, Juicebox Music, Mango Alley, meanwhile, Proton Music, Replug and Sudbeat have all served as recent landing spots for his groovy melodic sound. Movement Recordings has also been a comfortable home for the Simos, having released sixteen originals and six remixes since making his debut in 2014 with a contribution to the label's popular Technical Progress series. Now, following 'Vacuum', a well-received single via Dopamine Music to end the year, Simos begins 2024 with his latest Movement Recordings EP 'Katla', alongside remixes from Alex O'Rion and Weird Sounding Dude. Looking to showcase a more melodic side of his repertoire, Simos aims squarely at the dance floor with lead selection 'Katla' The Greek artist masterfully marries astral sonics and emotive lines with punchy kick drums and rolling grooves. An array of melodic hooks and orbiting effects steal the air across the first act, adding texture and depth leading into the heart of the journey. Coming to full fruition across the main break, it's a clever coax of creamy melodies, breathy vocals and poignant chord changes which create an uplifting vibe, building anticipation with each successive pass, before a series of chord stabs ignites a tasteful drop and smooth emotive finale. The companion piece 'Blaze' lands with equally strong drive, but with a deeper, more stirring approach emotionally. Enticing from the start, its punchy grooves, heartfelt melodies and evolving soundscapes marry perfectly for those tranquil mid-set moments. Pushing the narrative further, a transcendent break sits at the heart of the journey, flowing through soulful refrains and warm bass swells, eventually giving way to a hyperventilating build and goosebump-inducing final act. Returning to the label for the lone interpretation of 'Katla' is Alex O'Rion. Rising out of a successful career as a trance producer, Dutch artist Alex O'Rion took inspiration from the likes of John Digweed, Nick Warren and Sasha, to forge a path into the world of progressive house. Alex's groovy melodic sound found its footing quickly thereafter, as he notched releases via Nick Warren's Hope Recordings and Hernan Cattaneo's Sudbeat Music. Moving forward, 2020 proved to be a breakout year for the Nijkerk resident. On the strength of projects for Replug and The Soundgarden, Alex rose to Beatport's #3 best-selling progressive house producer, paving the way for 2021 releases via Guy J's Lost & Found and UK behemoth Anjunabeats. Also, no stranger to Movement Recordings, Alex made his label debut in 2020 with the well received 'Blue' EP, before going on to remix LADS in 2021, while 2022 saw the release of 'Relic', a Beatport Progressive House Top 10 release. Now returning to the label for his second remix, Alex dials in a gorgeous rendition of 'Katla'. Bringing a progressive state of mind, Alex carefully balances the emotion of the original with his own melodic groove-centric sound. Reprocessed vocal elements and vibrant musical clusters steal the air atop punchy beats and chunky grooves, while a cosmically correct break adds just the right amount of tension for the ultimate club-effective vibe. The release concludes with Weird Sounding Dude returning to the label for the lone interpretation of 'Blaze'. As one of India's rising musical mavericks, Weird Sounding Dude has emerged from his country's electronic landscape as a premiere progressive house talent. Long a favourite of genre tastemakers Hernan Cattaneo, Nick Warren, Guy J and Cid Inc, the Bangalore resident often touches on disparate themes and sounds, straddling the divide between intergalactic design and groove-centric hypnotism. With a career that now spans a decade, Weird Sounding Dude has compiled an impressive discography with standout releases via Anjunadeep, Hoomidaas, The Soundgarden and Sudbeat Music. A creative partnership with Movement Recordings began in 2020 with a contribution to the label's GLBLMVMT3 - Exploring India collection, a release which would lead to two remixes and 2023's 'Fallen Poet', a track which now sits atop both the label's and Weird Sounding Dude's Beatport's best sellers. Now, following a contribution to The Soundgarden's 'Winter Collection' to begin the new year, Weird Sounding Dude returns to Movement for a heady take on 'Blaze'. Striking a balance between supreme club dynamics and off-kilter electronics, Weird Sounding Dude takes the original's rhythmic cadence and remodels it against waves of haunted synth phrasing and wispy effects, all while percolating lines and tasteful melodic fragments continue to deliver much-needed dance floor curveballs for the more adventurous selectors out there.