ALVARO MEDINA — Monday Disco EP

Alvaro Medina – Monday Disco EP, released on VELVET as VELVET004, is a four-track 12-inch that brings together stripped-back minimal house, deep tech and hip-hop-inflected groove with two original productions and two remixes from JNJS and Djebali. Released in October 2025, the record places Madrid-based producer Alvaro Medina in a tightly focused vinyl programme built for the dancefloor, balancing detailed rhythmic programming with understated funk and a distinctly underground house sensibility. The EP is presented as a vinyl-only release and represents the fourth catalogue number from VELVET. Medina is a Madrid-based artist and the founder of Jazzy, a project closely associated with the deeper and more minimal side of contemporary house music. His approach on Monday Disco EP reflects the same rhythmic territory associated with the Spanish underground scene: grooves are allowed to develop gradually, percussion remains central and the arrangements leave sufficient space for DJs to mix. VELVET describes the record as a meeting point between minimal, hip-hop and tech house, while specialist retailers classify it across minimal house, deep house and tech house. The EP opens with “Yes, But”, Alvaro Medina’s first original contribution on the A-side. It establishes the record through a stripped-back rhythmic framework in which groove and texture take priority over conventional song structure. The track sits comfortably within the minimal-house spectrum, using repetition and subtle movement to create forward momentum without resorting to oversized drops or dramatic breakdowns. Its appeal is rooted in the kind of detailed, economical production that works particularly well in an extended DJ mix, where small changes in percussion and bass movement can become significant over several minutes. A2, “Yes, But (JNJS Remix)”, brings the owners of the JNJS label into the project. The remix retains the identity of Medina’s original while shifting the emphasis toward JNJS’s own interpretation of the groove. This creates a natural progression on the A-side: rather than presenting two unrelated tracks, the original and remix function as complementary versions of the same musical idea. For selectors, this makes the first side particularly useful when moving between different degrees of rhythmic intensity while maintaining a consistent minimal-house atmosphere. The B-side begins with the title track, “Monday Disco”. At 126 BPM, the track sits firmly in the contemporary minimal/deep-tech zone and has subsequently been categorised by specialist digital retailers as Minimal / Deep Tech and Microhouse / Rominimal. The track’s relatively long eight-minute-plus format gives Medina enough space to develop the groove gradually, making it a particularly functional record for mixing. “Monday Disco” also captures the central idea behind the release: taking understated underground house music and giving it a slightly more playful, funky character without compromising its stripped-back construction. The title suggests disco, but this is not a conventional disco-house production. Instead, the disco influence is absorbed into the rhythmic attitude, while the production remains firmly connected to minimal and deep tech. The result is a track that can sit naturally between more organic house selections and tighter microhouse or tech-house material. Closing the record is “Monday Disco (Djebali Remix)”. The Paris-based producer brings his own interpretation to the title track, providing the EP with a second remix perspective and a strong final cut for the B-side. The pairing of JNJS and Djebali is significant because both remixers are established names within the minimal and underground house community, giving the release additional context beyond Medina’s two originals. VELVET specifically presents the EP as two originals accompanied by remixes from JNJS and Djebali. The four-track structure makes Monday Disco EP particularly practical as a DJ record. The sequence offers two original tracks and two alternate interpretations, allowing selectors to choose between different rhythmic approaches while maintaining the same overall musical language. The record moves through minimal house, deep tech and tech-house territory without becoming overly genre-specific, which makes it suitable for warm-up sets, daytime sessions, intimate club rooms and deeper late-night programming. There is also a clear connection between the EP and the wider VELVET catalogue. VELVET004 follows Alexis Cabrera’s Endorffeine EP, VELVET003, continuing the label’s focus on minimal and tech-house material designed for the floor. The catalogue positioning of Monday Disco as the fourth VELVET release reinforces its role within a developing label identity centred on contemporary underground house music rather than crossover dancefloor material. The record received support from respected figures within the minimal and house community, including Enzo Siragussa, Raresh and Arapu, according to the release presentation from VELVET and specialist retailers. That support is consistent with the musical direction of the EP: detailed, understated and groove-led rather than built around obvious commercial hooks. For collectors, VELVET004 is an attractive document of Madrid’s continuing contribution to European underground house culture. The physical 12-inch format, vinyl-only presentation and combination of Medina originals with JNJS and Djebali remixes give the release a clear identity within the contemporary minimal-house vinyl market. The catalogue number VELVET004 is easy to place within the label’s sequence, while the four-track format makes it equally relevant as a functional DJ record and as a collectible release. Alvaro Medina – Monday Disco EP is ultimately a precise example of modern minimal house with a distinctly Spanish underground perspective. “Yes, But” and “Monday Disco” establish Medina’s own rhythmic language, while the JNJS and Djebali remixes expand the material without losing its stripped-back character. With its combination of minimal, deep-tech, hip-hop-inflected groove and understated house functionality, VELVET004 is a versatile 12-inch for DJs and collectors looking for contemporary vinyl that rewards extended mixing and close listening.