J Gabriel, Thomas Melchior, Bruno Pronsato - My Soul Is... Split Series

Onysia's latest release, My Soul Is... Split Series, feels less like a conventional VA record and more like a carefully constructed conversation between three distinct voices operating within the outer edges of minimal deep house. Conceived by label founder J Gabriel as the first entry in a new collaborative series, the EP succeeds in translating his vision of "playful psychedelia" into a collection of tracks that balance eccentricity, precision and groove in equal measure.

Opening cut "Bells Spells" immediately establishes the record's mood. J Gabriel's solo contribution drifts between hypnotic deep house and subtly futuristic minimalism, built around filtered keys, loose-limbed percussion and the chiming bell motifs hinted at in the title. It's warm and inviting, yet packed with enough microscopic detail to reward repeat listens.

The collaborative spirit comes into sharper focus on "Hey There", produced alongside Bruno Pronsato. Here, the pair lean further into the stranger corners of the minimal spectrum, crafting a track full of twitchy rhythms, glitchy textures and slippery grooves that never quite settle where you expect them to. It's a heads-down affair for seasoned dancers, but one that retains a playful sense of humour beneath its intricate programming.

The EP's centrepiece arrives with "My Soul Is", a collaboration with Thomas Melchior that perfectly encapsulates the release's ethos. Cleverly manipulated vocal fragments drift through an off-kilter framework of rolling drums and subtly psychedelic atmospherics, creating something simultaneously bizarre, beautiful and deeply hypnotic. The track unfolds patiently, revealing new details with every pass.

Closing proceedings, Bruno Soulcircus's remix strips "My Soul Is" back to its skeletal essence. The result is chunkier and more rhythmically focused, nodding towards the mind-bending minimalism associated with Romania's underground while preserving the original's dreamlike character.

What makes My Soul Is... Split Series particularly compelling is its sense of identity. Rather than chasing trends, Onysia continues to carve out its own world—one where technical sophistication meets genuine personality. It's a record that works equally well as a secret weapon in extended DJ sets or as a headphone journey through the more curious corners of contemporary minimal house.

Buy on Vinyl HERE

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