Steve Spacek - Houses (LP)

Steve Spacek has long been one of those artists who quietly bends the rules of modern soul and club music, then slips away before you realise what happened. Houses, released in 2020 on Kamaal Williams’ Black Focus Records, is a perfect snapshot of that approach. Spacek, born in London and now based in Sydney, stitched the whole thing together on his phone and tablet. That detail got plenty of attention from the music press, but it matters because it explains the album’s feel. Houses is intimate, nimble and surprisingly tactile, as if you can still sense thumbs tapping screens and ideas arriving mid‑stride.

If you came to Spacek through the early 2000s trio Spacek, or through his work with Mark Pritchard as Africa Hitech, you’ll hear the through‑line straight away. The drums are clipped and skittering, a little bruk, a little UKG, with bass that creeps under the floorboards. His voice sits feather‑light on top, part falsetto, part spoken confession, leaving lots of air. It is the sound of someone who grew up on London pirate radio and MPC swing, then moved halfway across the world and kept digging. The pieces are sleek but never polished to death, which is the charm. You can hear micro‑decisions, edges left in on purpose, and that gives the songs a human pulse even when the rhythms dart into odd angles.

Houses moves like a carefully mixed club night at a small room. Tempos slide, patterns fold back on themselves, percussion choices feel hand‑picked rather than thrown at a grid. There are moments that nod to footwork, then others that lean into broken beat or crooked RnB. Spacek lets the harmonies pivot on single notes, trusting the way a treated snare and a warm sub can carry a melody. When he opens up lyrically, it is reflective, low‑key and deeply musical. He does not crowd his lines. A short hook, a few murmured asides, then back to the groove.

The phone and tablet origin might suggest lo‑fi. It is not. The sonics are tidy and balanced, with bass weight where you want it and higher percussion that never turns brittle. It is more like a new kind of studio discipline. No racks, no open sessions stretching forever, just ideas captured quickly and refined. That approach suits Spacek. He has always been more interested in feel than flash, and it shows in the way the album’s textures hold together. The synths sound slightly weathered, the drums lean and pocketed, and the vocals hover in that sweet spot where soul meets dub.

There is a historical thread running through Houses that makes it a rewarding listen if you have followed his path. Spacek has worked with giants, from J Dilla to Pritchard, and you can hear that ear for swing and negative space. The London broken beat community of the late 90s and early 2000s taught a whole generation to prize rhythm as melody, and Houses carries that legacy into the era of pocket studios. It is easy to imagine these tunes rinsed at Plastic People into the early hours, but they suit a late night home listen just as well.

On vinyl this stuff really breathes. The Black Focus cuts tend to respect bass and dynamic movement, and this record is no exception. If you’re crate digging in a Melbourne record store, keep an eye on the Black Focus divider. The Houses vinyl pressing sits neatly alongside other modern UK soul‑jazz outliers, and it tends to vanish quickly. For anyone looking to buy Steve Spacek records online, this one is essential, both as a document of how far mobile production has come and as a proper set of songs. While you’re at it, have a look through Steve Spacek albums on vinyl more broadly. Space Shift and Natural Sci‑Fi sketch the backstory that Houses brings into sharp focus.

Houses also feels like an Australia chapter for Spacek. There is space in these mixes that mirrors Sydney’s light and distance, and a calm confidence in the arrangements. That might be me hearing context, but it fits. The record landed to a warm reception, not just because of the phone‑made angle, but because the tunes land. The best tracks have that time‑melting quality where two minutes feels like five and vice versa. They are small worlds, fully realised.

If you are in the habit of browsing for Steve Spacek vinyl or searching for Houses vinyl while hunting through online shops that specialise in vinyl records Australia, put this high on the list. It is one of those albums you live with for a while, finding new corners each time. Minimal kit, maximum feel, and a reminder that great records are about ears and taste more than anything else.