LEE + KENNEDY in The Lab NYC
The back-to-back format: a delicate dance of ego and synergy where we pray the vibe doesn’t devolve into a battle of who has the louder unreleased edit. Lee + Kennedy in The Lab NYC, however, are a masterclass in cohesion, playing for the room, not their own highlight reels. The vibe is intimate and heads-down, a blue-hued bunker where the only currency is a locked groove.
This is a tech house and progressive house journey, with a BPM average of 126 and a harmonic backbone overwhelmingly in the uplifting, driving key of 12A. The energy arc is expertly crafted, with lows at 47% ensuring a relentless, physical pulse, mids at 31% for melodic development, and highs at 22% adding crisp, peak-time urgency. Their mixing is fluid and long-blended, using harmonic mixing to glide between tracks like Paperclip People’s ‘Throw’ (Slam’s RTM Remix) and Riva Starr’s ‘The Superdope’ with effortless grace.
The dig into Deee-Lite’s ‘Groove Is In the Heart’ (Meeting the Minds Mix) is a joyous, unexpected left-turn that lands perfectly. Allies for Everyone’s ‘Bunker’ (Jay Hill’s remix) is a deep, driving weapon, while Sounom & Sagou’s ‘Everyday Moments’ (Kamilo Sanclemente Remix) offers a breath of melodic, progressive air. They open with the mischievous, loop-driven tease of NWN’s ‘Play With My…,’ build to a soaring peak with the anthemic chords of Sante Sansone’s ‘Rising,’ and close with the tough, rolling percussion of Marc Marzenit’s ‘Perron’ (Wehbba Remix), a full-circle return to the underground.