Description
Byron The Aquarius, a keyboard virtuoso with a string of releases on prestigious labels such as Eglo and Axis, delivers house music imbued with rich emotion, blending the essence of jazz and soul with machine grooves.
Alabama-born producer Byron The Aquarius has released works on a diverse range of labels, including Eglo, Signature, Apron, Axis, and Skylax and Star Creature, blurring the boundaries between jazz, soul, and machine grooves. Now, he makes his debut on Hard Times.
This album, 'One Of A Kind (Love Affair)', contains four tracks that fully express human warmth and emotional clarity through his signature breathing chords, swaying basslines, and unforgettable melodies. The opening track, 'A New Life', is a propulsive piece where crisp kicks and fluid saxophone lines intertwine with delicate vocal refrains. In contrast, 'The Last Mile of the Way' is introspective, with spoken-word cadences and a pulsing rhythm inviting listeners into a hypnotic space. Even on 'I Be Like Dat', a club-ready track with a tougher, more percussive edge, the soulful resonance remains intact. The final track, '4 Mike Huckaby', is an elegy and a celebration dedicated to a late friend and source of inspiration, with shakers, muted horns, and shimmering keyboards floating quietly. This is a vinyl packed with pure dedication to music, resonating deeply on both the dancefloor and in listening sessions.
A1. A New Life
A2. The Last Mile Of The Way
B1. I Be Like Dat
B2. 4 Mike Huckaby
There’s a rare tenderness to the way Byron The Aquarius makes house music. Across every release, the Alabama-born producer brings a deep sense of humanity - chords that breathe, basslines that sway, and melodies that seem to remember. On 'One of a Kind (Love Affair)', his debut for Hard Times, that emotional clarity shines through once again.
A master of the keys with a discography that spans Eglo, Signature, Apron, Axis, and more recently Skylax and Star Creature, Byron has long blurred the boundaries between jazz, soul, and machine groove. Here, he builds four tracks that each glow with feeling and finesse.
‘A New Life' opens with uplift and propulsion - crisp kicks and fluid sax lines circling around tender vocal refrains. 'The Last Mile of the Way' drifts inward, its spoken-word cadence and pulsing rhythm turning reflection into hypnosis. On the flip, 'I Be Like Dat' pushes forward with a tougher, more percussive edge. A laser-guided club moment that still hums with soul. Finally, '4 Mike Huckaby' closes the record as both elegy and celebration: shakers, muted horns, and shimmering keys floating in quiet reverence for a lost friend and inspiration.
As its title suggests, One of a Kind (Love Affair) is less about romance and more about devotion.
