Big ups to Hunter at Macktronic, who introduced me to Roman Ruins, the one-man project otherwise known as Graham Hill to family and close friends. Hunter, who operates Gold Robot Records, was kind enough to hook me up with his label’s first two 7-inch releases (my favorite music medium) – one from Roman Ruins and the other from the inimitable Panther (holla!). Trust me, nothing beats getting vinyl in the mail. HANDLE WITH CARE!

My Roman Ruins 7-inch, numbered 472 of 500, has gotten serious rotation on the turntable. There’s something so wonderfully contrary to this – sampled electronic beats set to the pop and crackle of analog warmth. Hill takes the edge off electronic sampling. His is not cold, repetitive and barren; it’s incidental and inviting. The sampling isn’t the point of the music – it’s just another part of it.

Computer-based sampling and home recording makes everyone an artist, but Hill doesn’t abuse the privilege. There’s a responsible effort here to create songs, molding samples to shape his mood and emotion. (The subtly used loop of crashing waves on Familiar and Serene proves the point.)

Go to Roman Ruins’ MySpace page for links to buy his recordings and to hear two new demos that, I think, were posted within the past week.

• Roman Ruins | Your House
• Roman Ruins | Familiar and Serene