TEELCO - Into the Light

Ruben Karapetyan's RKP opens the new year by welcoming TEELCO to the label for his debut single. Hailing from Albania, TEELCO has been a fixture of the progressive house underground for the better part of a decade. Noted for his deep melodic sound, the Tirana resident first emerged on the strength of tracks for Balkan Connection's BC2 and Soundteller Records, making him a name to watch going forward. The next decade would see TEELCO further hone his craft and notch standout releases for Mango Alley, One Of A Kind and Univack, while earning the praise of genre tastemakers Hernan Cattaneo and Mariano Mellino. Now, coming off his latest vehicle for Brazil's For Senses Records, TEELCO makes his debut on RKP with 'Into The Light', alongside remixes from Ruben Karapetyan and Diego R. The original mix leads the release off in impressive fashion and only furthers TEELCO's melodic ethos. Cruising effortlessly across the first movement, there's a strong sense of flow as chunky grooves, flashing percussion and a glowing backdrop set the course for sun-drenched melodies to deliver emotive moments leading into the break. Hazy clusters and sweeping effects continue to elevate anticipation and mood as the main break takes shape, conjuring up estival imagery, before a tasteful build spearheads an uplifting finale. Returning to RKP for the first interpretation of 'Into The Light' is label boss Ruben Karapetyan. Born in Armenia but now calling Los Angeles home, Ruben Karapetyan has carved out a unique place in the electronic underground. Following a ten-year hiatus, Ruben returned in 2020 to a rousing response via releases courtesy of Movement Recordings. On the strength of his first two singles for the label 'Gignesthai' and 'Hathor', Ruben quickly emerged as a hyped talent in the trend-driven state of progressive house. Releases via Clubsonica, Mango Alley, The Soundgarden, Meanwhile and more would soon follow, further establishing Ruben as a top tier talent and in demand remixer. Having first appeared on RKP with the label's inaugural release 'Nostalgic Recall', Ruben now returns to his comfortable home with a huge rendition of 'Into The Light'. Staying true to the main themes from the Original, Ruben adds a tougher more club-effective edge to the journey, as the main theme takes centrestage, sitting in all their poignant glory, and nicely accented with new-found chord stabs for maximum emotional response. Making his label debut with the second and final interpretation of 'Into The Light' is Diego R. Hailing from Argentina, Diego Rodriguez aka Diego R began his journey into electronic music as a DJ first, before entering the world of production under the guidance of Andrea Cassino and Emiliano Folgar of Interaxxis fame. 3rd Avenue, Dopamine White, Droid9, Strangers Beats and more have been landing spots for his progressive sound across the last three calendar years, firmly establishing Diego as one of Argentina's rising talents. With 2023 being Diego's most prolific and creative to date, the Buenos Aires resident opens the new year by adding RKP to his resume with a groovy take on 'Into The Light'. Drawing inspiration from the original, Diego layers clattering percussive arrangements and the distinctive lead atop punchy beats and chugging grooves. Emotive and rhythmic throughout, it's a gorgeous amalgamation of sound which makes for a dancefloor friendly yet uniquely musical journey, one which peaks with a quirky finale to round out the release on a high note.