Seattle-based Jeff Samuel has always had a distinct ear for the funkier elements of house music and is famous for intelligent, nuanced DJ sets. After recording music for numerous different labels (Poker Flat, Lo-Fi, Trapez) Samuel offers a confident stylistic step forward, building on complex subtleties that never betray the beat at the forefront.Awt’s title track reveals Samuel’s inclination towards funk, as a massive groove is created through the gradual addition of percussive elements. Samuel turns everything up a notch on “Heb.Gbz”, where the beats are heavier, almost jacking, and the impressive attention to detail is maintained via panning bursts of reverberation and seemingly endless rhythmic wiles. “The Zoop” offers some nostalgia, as squelching tones cleverly punctuate the off-beats of an 8-bit motif that could get anyone moving. “Moniss” has a more restrained take on previous themes, sacrificing neither their seriousness nor their playfulness; looping micro-melodies and treated synthesizers pop up in a charmingly haphazard arrangement.