PARADISE

TRACKLISTING

A1 Floorplan aka Robert Hood - Let's Ride
A2 Floorplan aka Robert Hood - Change
B1 Floorplan aka Robert Hood - Never Grow Old
B2 Floorplan aka Robert Hood - Eclipse

C1 Floorplan aka Robert Hood - Higher!
C2 Floorplan aka Robert Hood - C onfess
D1 Floorplan aka Robert Hood - Chord Principle
D2 Floorplan aka Robert Hood - Above The Clouds



INFO
'Parad ise' is Robert Hood's debut album release as Floorplan, a dancefloor alias he ha s used since he announced his Drama imprint with the highly sought after 'Funky Souls' EP in 1996. Taking Hood's minimal techno approach and embellishing it wit h elements of house, disco, funk and gospel Floorplan now realizes its full-leng th potential some 17 years since its inception. Good things, indeed, come to tho se who wait.

The last five years have seen Robert Hood in astonishing ly prolific form with an album release every year since the 2009 re-issue of the genre defining 'Minimal Nation'. This was swiftly followed a year later by new artist album 'Omega', then Robert's first live album 'Omega:Alive' in 2011 and l ast year's highly lauded 'Nighttime World 3' which graced end of year charts acr oss the world.

Now Robert Hood focuses his attention firmly on the da ncefloor. Since the 2010 'Funky Souls' re-press on Rush Hour re-introduced the h ibernating project, Hood has since released three Floorplan EPs including 'Livin g it Up', the 'Sanctified EP' and last year's 'Altered Ego' EP. The three EPs su bsequently spawned the massive club hits 'Baby Baby', 'We Magnify His Name', 'Al tered Ego' and 'Living it Up', taking Robert Hood's name across the techno/house divide. You could even say that Robert Hood could be a victim of his own succes s: Floorplan, which started off as a side-project, is starting to sound as vital as the searing minimal techno he releases under his own name.

New al bum 'Paradise' takes us through a heavenly mixture of house, soul, funk and gosp el – all underpinned by Hood's trademark driving minimal techno approach. 'Altered Ego' is a perfect example of Hood's tough view of house music; over an insistent groove a building chord sweeps in, taking with it a repetitive vocal s ample. But it's the nagging, relentless filtering of these elements, coupled wit h the deep resonance of the backing rhythm that make 'Ego' so memorable.
< br> Tracks like the opening 'Let's Ride' take a handful of elements such as a sk ittering drum pattern, vocal snippet and again that driving and relentless groov e that drags you by the throat to the dancefloor. There is no break, there is no respite – make no mistake, Floorplan is here to make you dance. 'Never Gr ow Old' is pure and simply glorious Gospel from the deep south, a hair raising v ocal hook baptised at the altar of minimalism. Then there is 'Confess' which is an entirely different proposition; the groove chugs along and the percussion is dry and steely but the keys are positively uplifting and wide-eyed, like they we re borrowed from a long-lost rave track and reapplied to Hood's functional take on house.

There are nods to Hood's minimal techno roots with 'Change' and 'Chord Principle' sounding like they could have been lifted from the Minima l Nation cutting room whilst 'Higher' and 'Above The Clouds' appear to be pointi ng to something new, as if Hood's take on house is as unique and essential as th e techno sound he has pioneered for over 20 years.

Floorplan, could w ell be seen as Hood's blueprint set to house. As he himself confessed to Andrew Weatherall several years ago in .cent magazine. "When you put the needle down on a James Brown record you immediately know it's James Brown. It's the same with Prince. But I ain't Prince...I'm Robert Hood."

In a world full of gen eric dancefloor music, Floorplan could well be seen as Robert Hood's vision as s een through a house music prism. But there is never any doubt as to the music's creator.

www.mplantmusic.com