Summer 2011, and Argy, aka Argyris Theofilis stands at the edge of international stardom. He’s grown from leading light of the new underground to one of the world’s hottest properties, and this is the album that will quite possibly change everything (again).

‘Fundamentals’is the sound of house music reconfigured and redrawn for the new era, with the attitude and soul of Chicago and Detroit rerouted via Berlin. At just 25 years old, Argy’s already long list of accomplishments reads like those of a producer twice his age - from the hotly tipped prodigy who gave the world ‘Love Dose’ and one of electronic music’s most precocious debut collections, ‘Focus on: Argy’, to the production wunderkind whose discography is a wish list of highly respected imprints, including Ibadan, Poker Flat, Vath’s Cocoon, and Ferrer’s Objektivity. But this is only half the story.

Argy represents the coming of age of a generation of producers who’ve grown up with dance music all around them, who’ve embraced innovation and technology from a young age, and for whom dance music is beyond a lifestyle; to them, it epitomises a way of life, a global network of individuals, peers, clubs, and fans who cross every continent. From Luciano and Jerome Sydenham to New York’s The Martinez Brothers, Argy’s collaborations span previously unconnected worlds, brought together with a shared desire to break down boundaries and barriers. This is also exemplified by the releases on his imprint, These Days. Released on Jerome Sydenham’s highly respected, Ibadan Records, ‘Fundamentals’is a fitting addition to a label that’s featured the cream of the world’s house producers, from Dennis Ferrer and Kerri Chandler, to Joe Claussell, Function, Joris Voorn, Radio Slave and beyond.

‘Fundamentals’ synergises nostalgia with a forward-thinking ethos that has come to exemplify Argy’s work. The retrofitted house of ‘Party People’ and ‘It Feels So Good’ sits neatly against the classic futurism of ‘I’m In’, ‘NY Anthem’, and ‘Indulgence’. The sheer production quality of tracks like ‘String Poetry’ and ‘Dinner At Kerri’s’, and the Latin-influenced rhythms of ‘Absent Friends’ tempered by sublime piano arrangements, are testament to Argy’s ability to imagine, write and produce deeply musical, yet state-of-the-art electronic music. ‘Upon Ourselves’ (featuring Bajka) and ‘Peace Of Me’ (featuring POSH) show his skill in crafting purpose-built dancefloor gold is as evident as ever.