As dance music fans know, it’s very common for producers to release singles and tour successfully for years before ever releasing a proper album. Swedish House Mafia are a perfect example of a group that just recently put out their “debut” album, Paradise Again. You can throw Surinamese-Dutch DJ/producer duo Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano into that bunch as well. Earlier this month SJRM released their official debut album, Fundamentals on their own label SONO. Spanning 13 total tracks, Fundamentals showcases the duo’s ever-evolving production style, while maintaining that wild and free spirit that SJRM are known for.
The album opens up with an energetic, club-stomper, “Run” that has some immaculate 80s vibes. The next track “Coffee Shop” features those signature SJRM jungle beats and has an undeniably sexy vibe to it. After that, “You Got Me Calling” shows off SJRM’s ability to produce a tasty, after-hours tech-house jam. The next track “5 Minutes Away” is definitely a standout. Not exactly a club tune, it’s almost kind of like an indie/hip-hop jam, buoyed by Bayku’s melodic vocals. The next track, “Better Things” is a continuation of the vibey hip-hop production they show off on the previous track. It’s also got another standout vocal performance.
The impressive vocal work continues on the next track, “Without Ya.” This time Olivia Sebastianelli gets the nod. “Without Ya” is a sort of combination of progressive house tropes with a funky synth beat. The next track “See” is another vibey affair, perfect for driving around at 4 AM. After that, “Closure” is another standout track. Featuring haunting vocals from Mayra, Closure melds that dark progressive sound with some Afro beats and chants mixed in for good measure. Skipping ahead, “Don’t Stop it Now” is another worthy progressive house song. Finally, “Love, Dance and Feel” is a true old-school rave banger, with a nasty violin hook and vocal refrain that will take you straight to a warehouse.
Check out Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano’s debut album Fundamentals, out now on SONO/Armada. Check out SJRM’s recent live set they played for SLAM! over ADE as well!