Fifteen releases in and Pager Records continues to refine its craft, each groove chiseling itself into the subconscious like an artisan at work on marble. “Silky Layers”, the label’s first VA since 2020, is an opulent mosaic of rhythm and texture, woven from the hands of familiar faces and eager newcomers alike. Across four tracks, the release pirouettes between the playful and the profound, the physical and the psychedelic, ensuring that whether you’re a dancefloor devotee or a headphone escapist, these sounds will linger like the echo of a whisper in a cathedral.
There are basslines that nudge, some that bounce, and then there are those that seduce. Phil Evans crafts the latter, lacing “Chocolate Funk” with a groove so decadent it drapes itself around the body like velvet at midnight. The rhythmic interplay—crispy drums, offbeat stabs, a hi-hat sizzling like butter meeting a hot skillet—feels effortless, yet each element slots into place with the precision of a jazz ensemble deep in the pocket. If funk is a language, Evans speaks it fluently, rolling his syllables with the smoothness of a seasoned orator. This is footwork flirtation, a tête-à-tête between bass and movement, best experienced where light is low and limbs are loose.
Some tracks arrive like an unexpected gust of wind, shifting the room’s energy before you can pinpoint their origin. “Wavelength Infinity” is exactly that—a hypnotic, shimmering tide that pulls you in, leaving the shore of reality blurred behind you. Aline Umber and Maxime dB sculpt a track that pulses with subterranean depth, its bassline unfurling like a silk ribbon in water, always shifting, never still. The pads glisten with a dreamlike iridescence, wrapping around percussion that feels more like gentle persuasion than command. It’s the sonic equivalent of being handed a clandestine invitation at dawn, whispering of secrets only the night can tell.
Where “Wavelength Infinity” is fluid, “Aquatic Maneuvers” is subaqueous—less a ride on the waves, more a plunge beneath them. Rocky paints in undulating blues and emerald hues, his sonic palette dipping into organic textures that ripple and expand like ink diffusing in water. Percussive bubbles rise to the surface, pads swirl in slow motion, and the bassline rumbles with the weight of unseen currents. This is music for the in-between moments, for that liminal space where time stretches and sensations heighten—a track that doesn’t just guide you through sound but submerges you in it completely.
Markus Sommer poses the question, but the answer is evident from the first kick: undeniable, inescapable, irrefutable funk. His offering to “Silky Layers” is a swagger-laden groove machine, each note imbued with a knowing grin. The bassline is restless, rolling forward like an eager raconteur spinning stories on the dancefloor. Percussion snaps with cheeky precision, its syncopation teasing and pulling, while melodic fragments wink from the sidelines, urging the body to let go of hesitation. This is Sommer at his most mischievous, at his most infectious—an invitation to lose oneself in movement, where the only response to its call is surrender.
“Silky Layers” transcends being just a collection of tracks—it’s an immersion, an experience that unfolds and deepens with every listen. Whether through the creamy decadence of “Chocolate Funk”, the hypnotic pull of “Wavelength Infinity”, the immersive depths of “Aquatic Maneuvers”, or the undeniable sway of “Does it Funk?”, each artist etches their signature into this musical mosaic. Like the best of Pager’s output, it’s a record that rewards attention, inviting listeners to peel back its layers and revel in the grooves beneath.
Words by Holger Breuer
Torture the Artist 