Okay, real talk: when was the last time a track made you involuntarily start two-stepping in your kitchen at 10 a.m.? Because that’s exactly what happened to me the second the first chorus of ERLY’s new single “Basement Condo” hit.
This man took dusty ’90s UK garage swing, slapped it together with chunky bass house kicks and that irresistible old-school house piano, and somehow made it feel brand-new again. If you grew up sneaking into raves or bingeing pirate radio tapes, this one is going to hit you straight in the chest.
ERLY (real name Titus Makin) might be new to some of you under this alias, but the résumé is stupid deep. Raised in a military household soaked in jazz, funk, soul, and blues, he’s already written with heavyweights like Steve Mostyn, Quinn Mills, and Jimmy Duval, and he’s got a Kobalt publishing deal to prove it. Right now he’s in the studio with literal legends — Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire and Neal Pogue (the guy who mixed OutKast, Tyler, Steve Lacy, Doja Cat, Kaytranada… need I go on?). Oh, and he’s also an actor you’ve definitely seen on screen, plus he’s the voice on “To Be First” from the Sweetwater movie soundtrack. The man is booked, busy, and apparently allergic to missing.
But let’s get back to “Basement Condo.” The intro creeps in with filtered vocal chops and a swung garage beat that feels like it was pulled straight off a 1998 Metalheadz mixtape. You think it’s gonna stay chill… then BAM — that organ bassline drops, the four-on-the-floor kicks in, and suddenly you’re in a sweaty underground club you definitely weren’t cool enough to get into back in the day. The chorus? Infectious. Bouncy piano stabs, pitched-up vocal hooks, and a bassline so fat it should come with a health warning. ERLY wasn’t lying when he said “listen through the intro — first chorus will really get you dancing.” Consider my hips possessed.
What I love most is how he keeps his alternative R&B/soul DNA in the DNA of the track. Even though this is a straight-up dance floor weapon, you can still hear those warm, jazzy chord extensions and his buttery vocal tone peeking through the mix. It’s like if Disclosure, MJ Cole, and early The-Dream decided to throw a basement party in 1999 and somehow invited 2025 ERLY as the headliner.
We’re living in a beautiful era where alternative R&B kids are fearlessly jumping into house and garage again (shoutout Kaytranada, Channel Tres, and now ERLY carrying the torch). “Basement Condo” feels like the perfect bridge — soulful enough for the crooners, rude enough for the ravers.
This is the lead single from his upcoming second EP, and if the rest sounds anything like this, we’re in for an absolute problem come release day.
So yeah… go stream “Basement Condo” right now. Crank it in the car, throw it on at pre-drinks, annoy your neighbors — whatever you gotta do. And when your friends ask “who is this?!”, you can smugly say you were here from the jump.
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Now drop a 🔥 in the comments if “Basement Condo” already has you moving, and tell me — what’s your favorite old-school house or garage record of all time? Let’s talk in the comments.
