You’ve just paid the cover charge for the galaxy’s premiere dance club/time machine. Patrons of all species gradually stumble into the large room. The DJ grabs the mic and starts to shout. “Welcome, folks! This is Time Warp (not to be confused with Dr. Frank-N-Furter’s Time Warp), and tonight we’ll be zooming and grooving all over the universe in search of one thing: the funk!” You hear an engine start up and the room comes to life. Pleasant travels!

Boof is just one of the numerous names donned by Maurice Fulton, the producer behind The Hydrangeas Whisper, the immaculate funk/house record that more people need to be talking about. Think Todd Terje’s It’s Album Time, but much more mindful of the dance floor headspace. This is undoubtably an artist that holds a mastery over the movement of feet and the bobbing of heads.

Fulton’s sound design and song progressions are fascinating, but what really shines here is the tasteful inclusion of live instrumentation. Nearly every song has some form of marvelous solo riding the wave of house music euphoria. These tracks are definitely slow-burners, but that doesn’t mean you won’t adore every step on these lengthy sonic staircases, and the crests of each will incite chills throughout your whole body.

Maybe the most intriguing inclusion on this wonderful album is a little track entitled “Emi’s M,” which sounds eerily reminiscent of a nigh unmistakable Dave Brubeck classic. Fulton has no issue with making it his own and mutating it into a jazz/dance fusion track for the ages. Quite honestly, this whole record, front-to-back, will provoke head nodding at the very least. If you’re seeking dance floor-igniting, funk/jazz-influenced house music with skilled live instrumentation, this album is for you.

– stasi (@stasisphere)