English producer Jobe makes his debut on Stripped here with a double-header of proper progressive goodies.

First up, we have ‘Principia’, which kicks off with a light, pleasing hook (which reminded me a bit of the first minute of Henry Saiz’s monumental remix of Guy J’s Lamur), before Jobe slams the listener with powerful bass rumbles. The track’s intensity builds until the two minute mark, when a propulsive bassline and handclaps lend it further forward-momentum. A sweet and trancey melody soon adds a touch of melancholy, working well with some unexpected key changes as the track heads into the breakdown, where the trance-lines meet simple arpegiated motifs and those bassy swells, which come to the fore as the beat picks up and the main hook creeps in again.

‘Koma’ is just a delight. Initially a little more stripped back than ‘Principia’, it doesn’t take Jobe long to head into deep space, with Dr Who-themed sequencers and a single-note synth line that manages to add urgency throughout the track without ever feeling too repetitive. The ideas throughout the track are just great, from the spine-tingling key changes that pounce about two and half minutes in, to the more mournful sounds that sweep across the main breakdown, to the glassy hook that appears just in time for the finale. Lovely, lovely stuff.

Fans of progressive house won’t find much new ground broken here, but what they will find are Jobe’s very strong melodic ideas and arrangements, with ‘Koma’ being a particular source of pleasure. Highly recommended. 8/10