TuneLab
DURANTE deep house set in The Lab LA
Deep house in The Lab LA often feels like a curated therapy session, and Durante is here as our guide, offering a balm of warm pads and rolling grooves for overstimulated nervous systems. The setting is that familiar, mood-lit box, where the only thing sharper than the audio is our collective focus on identifying that one elusive bassline. Durante operates with a surgeon’s precision within a narrow 122 BPM band, masterfully using the melancholic, introspective key of 3B as his home base, with excursions to 12A for moments of light. The energy is overwhelmingly low-end focused, crafting a deep, cushiony soundscape where every kick drum feels like a heartbeat and the sparse mids carry the emotional weight—this is house music for the soul, not the shuttle bus.
The track selection is a who’s who of melodic and deep house nuance. He kicks off with the vocal insistence of Matt Sassari’s 'Give It To Me', immediately grabbing attention. The beautiful left-turn of ODESZA’s 'Across the Room' remix shows a pop sensibility done right, while the UMEK & Mike Vale update of Mason’s 'Exceeder' is a welcome shot of peak-time adrenaline. Deeper cuts like Ezequiel Arias’s sprawling 'Passenger' and the timeless 'Resonant' by Satoshi Tomiie reward the dedicated listeners.
From the vocal-driven opener, the set builds to a driving peak with tracks like OFFAIAH’s 'Trouble', before dissolving into the beautiful, ambient introspection of Nathan Micay’s 'Beginning Ballads' for the close. It’s a journey from the club to the after-hours lounge, all within the confines of a pristine studio mix.