Music

Octave One

Uplifting vocal house from two of the world's finest

Musical history has been punctuated by gifted families. Motown had the Jacksons, surf-pop has the Wilsons, hard rock has the Van Halens, and techno has the Burdens.

Brothers Lenny and Lawrence Burden have been releasing music as Octave One for over two decades, with further siblings Lynell, Lance and Lorne pitching in as a revolving cast of additional members. The group stands tall as one of the most prominent and prolific acts to emerge from Detroit’s historic techno and house scene.

Octave One debuted on 10 Records’ landmark compilation ‘Techno 2: The Next Generation’ in 1990, and over the course of the past 26 years have gone on to contribute a wealth of top-tier records, including seven full-length albums and EPs on labels such as Transmat and Tresor.

Next up Octave One have an EP containing four versions of a track titled ‘Just Don’t Speak’ arriving through their 430 West imprint, with Ann Saunderson providing her vocal talents. An infectious bassline bounces zealously throughout opener ‘Just Don’t Speak (Blue Sunset Vocal)’, complemented brilliantly by Saunderson’s emotive voice and a soaring string section to form an uplifting dancefloor stunner. Check out the premiere below.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter