TuneLab
ANTHEA driving house set in The Lab NYC
When a set is billed as 'driving house' in New York City, we know we're in for a sleek, muscular journey that values propulsion over prettiness—ANTHEA delivers exactly that, a masterclass in building and maintaining tension. Imagine the clinical, high-ceilinged space of The Lab NYC transformed into a tunnel of focused energy, all strobes and shuffling feet. This is tech house at its most disciplined, operating within a tight 128-130 BPM window and anchored overwhelmingly in the key of 12A, which gives the entire progression a coherent, modal intensity.
The energy profile is fascinating, with a colossal low-end average of 0.79—this set is built on a bedrock of sub-bass and weighty kicks, while mids at 0.13 handle the rhythmic texture and highs at 0.076 add just enough definition. The mixing is precise and relentless, using extended blends and loop layering to create a seamless, rolling momentum that never dips. For standout moments, the epic rebuild of Faithless's 'Insomnia' by Maceo Plex is a monstrous, respectful opener.
Lovebirds' 'Want You In My Soul' with Stee Downes provides a crucial soulful vocal release, while Phunk Investigation's 'Lo-Fi' and Fixon's 'Mis Muertos' are peak-time weapons of pure groove. Trianglereality's 'Fallen' offers a darker, percussive interlude, and the inclusion of Charli XCX's '365' reworked into this context is a genius pop-tease. The journey is a linear ascent: it kicks off with the iconic chords of 'Insomnia 2021', builds through the relentless push of tools like 'Lo-Fi', reaches a euphoric peak with the extended, driving runtime of Starsailor's 'Four To the Floor (Thin White Duke Mix)', and finally descends into the melodic resolve of HOSH & 1979's 'Midnight (The Hanging Tree)'.