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In the midst of overblown computer noises and a rainbow LED sea, the man felt beckoned by a soft, distant light. Upon entering the fantastical shanty village known as The Folly, he and his tribe happened upon an debaucherous, balcony-shaking dance party, thumping to a sound that fit just as readily into a gilded vintage ballroom as a digital desert playground. In that moment, Music, Love, Art, and the Present Moment were the only things that mattered; this was the day Gravitas and High Step Society united.

High Step Society’s new EP Perception, out via Gravitas Recordings, boldly combines the driving beats and bass drops of modern electronica with the hallowed tones of jazz. Through exploring this fusion, the result is an EP that is unstoppably danceable and overflowing with creativity. High Step Society evokes subtle nostalgia for another era, while authentically translating timelessness into a form of contemporary grit. A work spawned from a diverse group of creatives – trained jazz musicians, dark folkies, seasoned funk/rock players, and bass music aficionados – Perception represents a melting pot of collaboration and blending of styles.

Revisit the past with “Side Step,” where a luscious sonic soundscape is concocted from perennial jazz and dreamy, euphonious ingredients. After communing with the past, “Back to the Roots” extends an energetic groove that leaves all worries behind. Title track “Perception” is a dynamic, alluring killer that dances along the concepts of perception, attraction, and infatuation. Woefully rolling through the night on “No. 9,” imaginative instrumentation drives you back into your darkest hour. Transfiguring into a ghostly escapade, “Howlin” is an unearthly companion that escorts you to the brink of the multicolored musical cauldron.

High Step Society is a dance party from another dimension; a high-flying, beat-dropping, big band rocket ship with an ear to the past, and both feet on the gas. This dynamic band is bringing jazz back to the party, where it belongs.

1. highstepsociety.com