It’s a beautiful thing when music alone can invoke an altered state of being. Bringing the listener’s focus out of their mind and into their body is a bit more involved than the cliché build-break-build-break recipe. Riva Starr & Santos’ three-track tribute to Acid House (perhaps a homage the idea of acid in general) creates a momentary severance from “reality” by summoning the most primal of rhythmic instincts.

This visceral quality is best expressed in David Squillace’s remix of “Fallin’ On You”, which is the unequivocal stand-out track. It growls and purrs like a wild animal, amid throbbing bass and percussion, spacecraft whirrs, and an otherworldly ethos. This one will boom across clubs in Ibiza all summer.

The original “Fallin’ on You” is slightly tamer, but the pummeling drum beats are just as entrancing. Ironically, a ticking clock sound throughout serves to enforce that hypnotic effect. The perfect track for a smoldering after-hours session, layers of tribal percussion are juxtaposed with lonely piano cords and a haunting vocal.

“Acid Train” is a departure from the first two tracks as it dives full force into the classic Acid House vibe. It wouldn’t be complete without Chicago legend DJ Pierre’s voice hissing “accccciiiiid traaiiiin” against the steamy howl of a train whistle.

The consummation of their long-time friendship, Starr and Santos’ debut release on Hot Creations was born out of the timeless roots it expresses. Riva Starr commented:

“We’ve been doing stuff together for a while now and we made it the old school way with an AKAI S950 sampler and drum machine. Our friend Davide Squillace (from Naples like me!) did an amazing remix and I had the chance to collaborate with the true Acid House legend that is DJ Pierre.”