What is The Sick Dimension, and who put it out?
Nikki Nair has signed to dh2, the dance-focused sublabel of Dirty Hit run by George Daniel of The 1975, and his debut there is the four-track EP The Sick Dimension, out August 7. The lead single Default Mode is already up, alongside Odd Sympathy, Please Do Not and One Hundred. Nair describes the record as the sound of going back to basics: digging for old house, leaning on a pile of strange gear and threading his own voice through the tracks.
"This record was me using all of the weird gear that I have, and getting back into digging for old house music. I think it led to something good."
Why does a Nikki Nair house record matter?
The Atlanta producer built his name on warped, hyperactive club and bass music that never sat still. Turning toward drum-driven, old-school house is a deliberate move, not a retreat, and it is his first solo outing since last summer's Violence Is The Answer on Future Classic. When a producer this restless decides to slow down and study the canon, the result tends to be jacking house with the corners left rough, not a nostalgia exercise.
What is dh2, and why is George Daniel building it?
dh2 is Dirty Hit's dance arm, steered by George Daniel, the drummer and producer in The 1975. That puts indie-pop infrastructure and money behind underground club music, and a signing like Nair is the clearest signal yet that the label wants credibility on the floor rather than crossover singles. For an independent dance label, landing a producer with this much underground respect is a statement of intent.
