{"product_id":"john-roberts-glass-eights","title":"John Roberts - Glass Eights","description":"\u003cp\u003eLabel: Dial – dial CD 22\u003cbr\u003eFormat: CD, Album\u003cbr\u003eCountry: Germany\u003cbr\u003eReleased: 2010\u003cbr\u003eGenre: Electronic\u003cbr\u003eStyle: Deep House\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJohn Roberts became the first American artist on Dial in 2008, and Glass Eights — nearly two years in the making — announced a sound impeccably curated and delicately enigmatic. Where the deep house template had largely relied on synthetic orchestras and digital polish, Roberts approached it with a dusty, orchestral sensibility that opened the genre up to a world of new acoustic possibilities with a flair that hadn't been paralleled since.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe grooves are immaculate and the four-to-the-floor unflinching, but it is Roberts' use of instrumental samples that sets Glass Eights entirely apart. A classical background aids him in crafting subtle violin, piano and cello lines that never resort to the emotionally domineering conventions of the uplifting piano breakdown or the melancholic string sample — instead, these orchestral melodies lend the music an earthiness, a tactile quality of worn materials that stands in sharp contrast to the genre's over-polished productions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLesser kicks off with a weathered lope rather than a full-on rush; Navy Blue is underpinned by what sounds like a backmasked violin; Pruned moves with a funereal bass procession; August sends a swift wind across soft autumnal tones. The closing suite is where Roberts truly lifts off — Went replacing the typical beatless synth-noodle with a keening orchestral piece before the title track finally looses the stomp alongside a stylish piano line that shows how brilliantly keys can work outside of conventional major-chord territory. Rendering awkwardness enigmatic and anxiety beautiful, Glass Eights sounds as fresh and singular today as it did on release.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e→ \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/inverted-audio.com\/feature\/deep-house-introspective-ii-john-roberts-glass-eights\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eREAD REVIEW BY TOM FABER\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Dial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":64644680483193,"sku":"dial CD 22","price":16.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0667\/6814\/2623\/files\/JohnRobertsGlassEights.jpg?v=1789804746","url":"https:\/\/inverted-audio.store\/products\/john-roberts-glass-eights","provider":"Inverted Audio Record Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}