Setting the tone in a similarly deep and heady post-rave delirium as RBI’s Disseminate and in-house group Sleep D’s latest album, the spectral dub techno of Unsolicited Joints slips in perfectly to the Butter Sessions 2023 vibe.


Unsolicited…no one asked for these joints, yet here they are. Salvaged from many spontaneous late night jams over the last few years in a darlinghurst studio with only the mood in the room and the spirit of fun as guides. It’s all here really - Convextion-esque Midwest futurism, spiralling pads and woodblock style percussion mixed with the kind of borderless deep house timbres that nod more to Sprinkles, Regelbau and Acido than the watered-down, commercialised monotony. Elements of bleep, golden era 90s progressive house and even dubstep (‘Joint 5’) coalesce to prove a distinct UK influence, though Sydney brothers, Cousin & Ben Fester, combine them with ease.

'Joint 2' manages to at once subtly unfold yet rapidly ascend into peak-time 130 territory, knowingly crafted with the DJ in mind. Meanwhile 'Joint 3' gathers momentum through a shuffling, almost European minimal sort of groove, equally floor friendly but with less of the intensity. The aforementioned bleep tropes poke their head out on the latter half of the opening cut, while across the whole thing is a sense that the Fester's are as voracious listeners as they are talented producers. An exciting collection of tracks that wear their stylistic influences on their sleeve but are deep in the knowledge of those that have come before them.