Greg Paulus - Close To Home (2026) [Hi-Res]

Greg Paulus, a DJ, producer and trumpeter from Minnesota, was raised on the musical foundations laid by his father, the composer Stephen Paulus, and has become an essential part of New York’s musical landscape. His path blends house, soul, jazz and hip-hop. He has toured as a trumpet player with the indie band Beirut and in Matthew Dear’s live ensemble, while at home he helped redefine the underground dance scene as one half of No Regular Play with his childhood friend Nick DeBruyn, whose deeply musical sound reached fifty countries.

A decade on, Paulus arrives on Slacker 85, Seth Troxler’s label, with his debut solo album “Close To Home”. The record celebrates three personal cornerstones — family, trust and hope — and unfolds as a focused, conscious journey. The opener “Perot”, arranged with Seth Troxler himself and John Camp, sets an organic tone; “World Keeps Changing” follows, presenting music as a constant in a changing world. “Midtown Mirage” treats the city as a collaborator, while “Bond”, featuring Brooklynite Dillon Cooper, flips rap standards amid psychedelic flourishes.

Paulus’s dancefloor roots surface on the club groove “NRG”, while on “Real Job”, made with composer and sound designer Taylor Bense, he slows the tempo on his MPC for an old-school beatdown feel. “Hat Down” is the first of two No Regular Play reunion tracks, recalling the duo’s imperial phase of confident minimal productions while evolving their craft. The album’s personal side comes through on “$1000”, built from loving missed calls on Paulus’s answering machine, and “Hold Dear”, a stripped-back, vulnerable exploration of intimacy and life’s devotions. The record closes with “Sometimes It’s About Us”, where jazz prodigy Michael Feinberg delivers upright funk in a celebratory collage of bopping rhythms, vocals, sharply plucked guitars and archive samples, with Paulus leading his friends, ensemble and many influences in rare harmony.

Tracklist:
01-01 Greg Paulus, Seth Troxler, John Camp - Perot [2:46]
01-02 Greg Paulus - World Keeps Changing (LP Version) [5:39]
01-03 Greg Paulus, Taylor Bense, John Camp - Midtown Mirage [3:54]
01-04 Greg Paulus, Dillon Cooper, Taylor Bense, John Camp - Bond [3:07]
01-05 Greg Paulus - NRG [4:41]
01-06 Greg Paulus, Taylor Bense - Real Job [1:31]
01-07 Greg Paulus, No Regular Play - Hat Down [3:53]
01-08 Greg Paulus, Taylor Bense - $1000 [1:34]
01-09 Greg Paulus - Hold Dear [4:25]
01-10 Greg Paulus, No Regular Play - Carousel [4:48]
01-11 Greg Paulus, John Camp, Michael Feinberg - Sometimes It's About Us [7:34]
01-12 Greg Paulus - NRG (O.bee & Tomas Station Remix) [7:25]
01-13 Greg Paulus - Hold Dear (Maher Daniel - $1000 Remix) [7:39]
01-14 Greg Paulus, Taylor Bense - $1000 (Cali Lanauze Remix) [6:31]
01-15 Greg Paulus, Dillon Cooper, Mónica Mussungo - Bond (musclecars Remix) [4:49]