So Hannu (aka Homegrove) posted his latest chart here, which quietly includes this: 7. Introvert – Various (cdr).

It’s been a while. The Finnish native Jukka Varis caught a huge break back in 2004, with two tracks appearing on Way Out West’s Featured Artist set on Proton Radio (“Wistful Longings” and the delightfully lush “4th of July”). After that it was Fingerpaint fever. Everyone wanted a piece of the action, no labels picked up the work and the legs died.

After the hoopola, people reported random sightings of tracks “Restless” and “From The Depths,” as well as a remix of Sasha’s Mr. Tiddles from Airdrawndagger. Nick Warren picked up “Seaside Floater” for the bonus mix disc of Way Out West’s Don’t Look Now album in 2004, Kaan Duzarat enlisted him to remix 2005′s “Organic Intellectual” and Aurium Recordings picked up “5am Illusions” the same year. But what of the two initial breakout songs? Or the rest undoubtedly sitting on Varis’ hard drive? The word from Homegrove (a fellow Finn) is that he’s working to compile an EP and hasn’t yet shopped any tracks around, but eventually will be.

He’d bloody well better be. Introvert falls in the sweet spot of kick-back bell-happy warm and fuzzy progressive house: Mic Burns, Jacob Todd, Jiva, Subsky and even Digital Witchcraft come to mind (Okay, in all fairness Subsky claimed he dumped that sound two years ago). Regardless, it’s a killer sound for lounges and opening sets, and there’s definitely a wide open niche for Varis whenever he wants to take advantage of it.