Review: It would be fair to say that Studio K7 has pulled off something of a coup in getting Kenny Dixon Jr. to agree to compile and mix the latest installment in the long-running DJ Kicks series. It is, somewhat remarkably, the legendary Detroiter's first commercially available mix set. This triple-vinyl edition features a whopping 19 cuts - all in unmixed form - from the 30 track mix. Musically, it's a blazed, jazzy, soulful and groovy as you'd expect, and contains a mixture of downtempo beats, nu-jazz and hazy house cuts from the likes of Flying Lotus, Dopehead, Peter Digital Orchestra, Nightmares On Wax, Soulful Session and Lady Alma.
Review: Since launching in 2006, the men or women of mystery behind the sneaky Digwah series have delivered a couple of sought-after, single-sided 12" singles that blend familiar samples with rock solid tech-house grooves. Predictably, this third volume in the series sticks closely to the blueprint, wrapping twinkling electric piano motifs and a restless, looped bassline around a rhythm track rich in jazzy hi-hats, snappy drum machine snares and tough, locked-in kick-drums. It's arguably closer to deep house than its predecessors, with the tactile and warming samples - lifted, it seems, from the late '60s West Coast rock record - helping to create a rolling, late night feel. The previous Digwah releases sold out quickly, so you'll have to act fast to secure a copy of this one.
Review: This is a cheeky single-sided affair that contains a gently tooled-up, rolling and rearranged version of a Marlena Shaw-sampling jazz-house classic that is rightly considered something of a dancefloor classic. The edit itself is undoubtedly rather good, subtly adding a little more bottom-end grunt whilst making a little more of the original's snaking sax parts, much-loved vocal sample and groovy jazz percussion. You can decide or not whether the re-edit was needed; certainly, the mystery re-editor has done a rather tidy job on the rework.
Review: Madonna, Depeche Mode and Kelis - what do East End Edits have in store for us next? This seventh instalment harks back to the charming deep jazzy house of their inaugural release - think of the legendary St. Germain and that should give you a fairly good idea. The track's smoky, late night jazz bar vibe is complemented by a rolling bass and swinging rhythms that should appeal to the likes of Rhadoo or Petre Inspirescu - legends of the Romanian scene who themselves have lent their deft hand to the French producer's work as remixers in the past, too.
Hit It Bubba (I Want My Dadda's Rekids!!!!) (5:42)
Party Marty (5:47)
Review: The Detroit badman always delivers the goods, but he'd recently focussed on his more house-centric style thanks to a series of sleek, soulful releases. This time, he's come out all guns blazing with this new four-part killer, led by the absolutely nutty groove that is "Sink Holes" - a proper slice of Omar S acid, delivered in fine style and with his inimitable rawness. "HELL ON EARTH" is a moodier, funkier house tip with a jazzy side, while the flipside's "Hit It Bubba (I Want My Dadda's Rekids!!!!)" is a fast, upbeat house bomb with a crazy little disco sample that floats amid the grainy bass drums. "Party Marty" is a no nonsense kind of lick, pouncing away with a steady, yet unmistakably Omar S-style percussion, and a heavy bass blow. This is one hell of a way to make an appearance this early in the year - highly recommended!!
Review: Given that this is the first album from the great Theo Parrish since 2007, it's unsurprising interest in American Intelligence has rocketed over the course of the year as Sound Signature left a trail of hints. Happily, American Intelligence is a fine album; deep and woozy in parts, undeniably soulful, shot through with jazz influences and full to bursting with killer cuts. By now, everyone should know the brilliant "Footwork" single (arguably one of the records of 2014); soon, clubs will swing to the off-kilter dancefloor jazz of "Make No War", the 21st century broken house of the epic "Fallen Funk" and the decidedly odd - but brilliant - "Helmut Lampshade".
Review: Ludovic Navarre aka St Germain requires no introduction, and the French house legend has literally seen and done it all ever since his first productions began to surface and influence other house artists back in the early 1990's golden era. The majority of his music has been released on F Communications, but his latest studio album drops on EMI's Parlophone sublabel. The self-titled St Germain is a proper LP, not a mere collection of house tracks put together helter-skelter. Inside, you'll hear many of Navarre's influences and inspirations, from Afro tribal melodies, to jazzy influences and even Middle-Eastern chimes. It's a house album in structure, but much more than that beneath the surface...as it always was from the legend of French dance music.
Review: The Digwah label deals in tech-house reworks of well-loved old cuts and the results are always well on point. They don't come on a regal basis but when they do they are well worth snapping up - and often sell out in quick fashion. The subject of this latest one is the one and only Sade, whose buttery vocals get layered into a nice deep, propulsive house grove that comes with none hues and last night chord work to sooth any floor. Yet again this is another essential 12" from this label, and as ever it's hand stamped one sided affair.
Confess To U (The Three Stooges Of Hamtramck mix) (5:30)
Review: Alex "Omar" Smith has something he wants to get off his chest. The much-lauded Detroit producer has teamed up with re-born Italians Do It Better sorts Nite Jewel for "Confess To You", which comes in two distinctive variations. The A-side "Mix" revolves around a tactile, boogie-era synth bassline, late night AM radio synthesizer chords, drifting sax solos and a crunchy, deep house-influenced rhythm track. Arguably even better is the flipside vocal version, which naturally sees Smith, Romana Gonzalez and company deliver a near perfect chunk of '80s soul/deep house fusion. It sounds like a softly spun summer anthem in waiting. Don't take our word for it, though; check out the clips and revel in the track's breezy brilliance.
Review: Leron Carson may not be the best-known Midwest producer, but he has history. Carson's first release came way back in 2001, with Theo Parrish putting out a track he'd recorded way back in 1987 and has appeared on Sound Signature intermittently over the years. This new 12" from Carson for Theo's label is HEAVY! "Lemonline" is a deliciously breezy concoction, with Carson's jazzy piano riffs working in perfect unison with bouncy, Latin-influenced drum rhythms. Flipside "Sofnthik", on the other hand, sounds like a previously unheard 1980s Chicago deep house concoction, with warm, loved-up chords swirling around a clattering drum machine groove. Whether it was recorded 30 years ago is unknown, but it certainly boasts a similar lo-fi, analogue feel.
Review: Given the hype surrounding HNNY over the last few years - fuelled, primarily, by a string of celebrated singles on Puss, Local Talk, Let's Play House and YUMMY - it's somewhat surprising that Sunday marks his first foray into the album market. Wisely, the Swedish artist embraced the opportunity for eclecticism that the format provides, filling his debut full-length with a mix of tracks variously designed for sofa-bound listening and dancing in clubs. There's a jazz-flecked beauty to the crackly downtempo grooves offered up by the title track, while the dreamy, guitar-laced head-nodder "Sylvia" recalls the best of his Balearic-influenced work. It's these luscious moments, such as the twinkling ambience of closer "My Baby", that really resonate.
Review: Admittedly, we are always a bit excited when more cheeky bootleg remix action from East End Edits come in. Following up the groovy yet tough rolling tech house of EEE09 and its jazzy flourishes, the subsequent release is an edit of 'Fever' by Peggy Lee, and it's a pretty good one if we do say so ourselves. Deep, sensual and mysterious mood music that's perfect for the warm-up slot, it features a lurking Reese bassline beneath clipped rhythms to support the sensual vocal of the original, not to mention its sombre clarinet solo. Class!
Review: Sneaky remix action alert! We're not sure who DSO is (or are) - internet searches come up blank - but the two tracks on this 12" genuinely hit the spot. A-side 'Love You More' puts a new spin on the Sade classic of the same name, adding the '80s soul star's vocals to a hypnotic deep house groove, dreamy chords and occasional flecks of wine bar saxophone. Over on the flip the shadowy remixer(s) offer-up a radically different new take on Erykah Badu's 1997 hip-hop soul gem 'Apple Tree', reimagining it as a rolling chunk of deep house warmth. It's basically soul-fired, 21st century hip-house with enough depth and atmosphere to please deep house heads.
Review: &Me and Black Coffee make for something of an Afro house dream team here. The latter has long been this sound's pin-up and has gone from playing in South African townships to producing with Beyonce and winning Grammy Awards over the last decade. Now deep in his latest Ibiza season, he unveils collaborative track 'The Rapture' (Pt III), a deep rolling cut with spine-tingling chords and a rich atmosphere. &ME then goes solo for 'LIFE', a shuffling percussive groove with spoken words and enchanting chords to make for a classy two-tracker.
Review: Clive From Accounts's tunes are as good as his artist alias. For his latest meeting he serve sup a knowing blend of soul, house and disco from across the ages. The relative newcomer impresses from the off with 'Tell Me' which is a steamy vocal over a fulsome house beat. 'Without Your Love' cuts loose on a more heady and cosmic house groove with some gorgeously seductive trumpet lines drifting in and out of ear shot and 'Strictly Business' is fun, cuddly basement grooves for intimate parties. 'Yukon' is a nice fresh breakbeat to up the energy.
Turn Me On (Tony Humphries Got U Turned On dub) (7:50)
Save Me (Coldcut remix) (6:38)
Review: South Street's latest missive gathers together a trio of club-friendly remixes of Nina Simone classics that first appeared on the 2006 compilation "Remixed & Reimagined". Francois K impresses with an A-side revision of Simone's celebrated cover of Beatles classic "Here Comes The Sun" that sounds like a long lost Larry Heard record from his classic Fingers Inc. period. Those after something a little more rolling and funk-fuelled should wrap their ears around Tony Humphries' Dub of "Turn Me On", which boasts a seductive mixture of Romanthony style hard loops and rumbling, UK garage influenced bass. Completing the package is Coldcut's fine re-imagining of "Save Me", which places Simone's heart-arching vocal atop skittish, club-ready drums and looped guitars.
Review: From Kon's forthcoming compilation on BBE entitled Kon & The Gang, this 12? sampler features two cuts taken from the LP and an exclusive remix from Boston producer and mix engineer Caserta, namely "Timeless" (Caserta mix)" a tasty serving of super deep and low slung disco goodness. A more functional edit for DJ use follows on "Timeless" (remix - Caserta mix)". On the flip Truccy (better known as Compost's Rainer Truby and Corrado Bucci) present "Closer", a gorgeous slo-mo house jam with a rolling groove fetauring all the good stuff: swirling Rhodes keys, groovy congas and hypnotic vox.
Review: Prescription and Guidance mainstay Abacus has already done enough to assure his eternal legacy in the story of deep house. But thankfully he is still turning out superbly deep sounds that are as profound and emotive as they are heady and escapist. Here he is back on Phonogramme with 'Analogue Stories Vol. 2' which comes on a unique semi-transparent 12'' vinyl. The beats are warm and humid, thickly coated with a diffuse synth hue as the rooted drums roll on smoothly. 'How U Do It' is out pick - a musical odyssey with layers of instrumentation, piano and percussion all topped off with a Moodyman vocal sample.
Review: Fresh off a 12" appearance on Dirt Crew alongside Harry Wolfman, Manchester-based DJ and producer Loz Goddard is back on a solo flex with the Drunken Monk EP for the Reserve sublabel from NYC edit crew Razor N Tape. Four tracks deep, this 12" has that slinky, glossy feel to it that sounds just right on Razor N Tape, with the Love Unlimited Orchestra does disco house shuffle of "Lovin'" the pick of the A-side cuts. Flip over and "Moovish" sees young Loz veer off into heavily filtered house territory, throwing in what sounds like some nifty RAMP sampling while he's at it. The appropriately-titled "Something Special" rounds out the 12" in fine style with a bit of a French Touch.
Nightmares On Wax - "Rose Rouge" (ReRub mix) (7:18)
Traumer - "What You Think About" (Re-Jammed remix) (6:44)
DJ Deep - "Sure Thing" (DJ Deep remix) (6:23)
Review: One of the greatest house albums of all time is 20 this year. To mark the occasion the legendary French producer behind it - Ludovic Navarre aka St Germain - has selected a sympathetic team of expert remixes to add their own spin to the still classic source material. Atjazz is the perfect man to open up thanks to his deep, lounge and of course jazzy house style. Osunlade then brings his shamanistic sounds to 'Sure Thing' and it glows as a result with Ron Trent later tackling the anthemic 'Rose Rouge' and slowing it down to a lush jazz dance. With DJ Deep, Nightmares On Wax and more also featuring, this is a must cop.
Review: As the title suggests, this four-tracker from the mighty Kerri Chandler is made of material recorded in - but for whatever reason never released - in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He first unfurls 'What Shall We Do', a sturdy but snappy New Jersey deep house number rich in attractive organ stabs, warming bass and bluesy lead vocals from 'Grampa', before unveiling the squelchy acid bass, dreamy pads, colourful melodic flourishes and loved-up harmony vocals of 'Tonight'. 'Into The Night' is a beefier, bolder and weightier slab of intergalactic peak-time deep house, while 'This & That' manages to be both funky, jazzy, loose-limbed and stuttering - a remarkable achievement in anyone's book.
Review: When Gregory Porter first released "1960 What?" back in 2012, he'd yet to become the soul superstar we know and love today. The single was released in limited numbers first time round and, thanks to his elevation to star status, has become an in-demand collector's item - hence this timely reissue. It's every bit as classic-sounding as the majority of Porter's work, with the main man providing an impassioned delivery of conscious lyrics over a wonderful soul-jazz backing track. Serious contemporary dancefloor thrills are provided by Opolopo's superb flipside revision, which re-imagines the track as a bass-heavy chunk of jazz-house brilliance that rivals St Germain's "Rose Rouge" in its ability to send dancefloors wild.
Review: How is it that this EP from Warren Harris, aka the deep house maestro Hanna, is now 20 years old but still sounds like tomorrow music? Such is the vision of Harris that his off-grid grooves and sparkling cosmic melodies have aged to perfection. The pads weave in and out of the wonky kicks on 'Metropolitan' to make for an outlier soul sound. 'Cottage' pairs more wispy melodies with cool-as-you-like drums and on 'Healing' there is a sunny day feel with glistening and golden keys and louche drums persuading you to sway. 'Afternoon In Paris (NY mix)' brings some swaggering jazzy swing and busy keys work that again transcends space and time. This is one of the many classics on Theo Parrish's Soul Signature label.
Review: Man-of-the-moment Felipe Gordon was little more than a Columbian producer with promise when he first appeared on Razor N Tape Reserve back in 2019. It's therefore nice to see him back on the Brooklyn-based imprint two years on. Those who've followed Gordon's career of late will know what to expect - namely heady, musically rich dancefloor workouts that join the dots between deep house, nu-disco and jazz-funk. Opener 'Strings of the Afterline' is pleasingly hazy and dreamy whilst boasting Gordon's usual synth-heavy squelch, while 'The Fall of a Withered Empire' is a rare vocal number with a deep jazz-house feel. Elsewhere, 'Classico' is a bouncy, classic-sounding deep house bounce-along rich in sparkling synth riffs, while 'Julia Y Lewis' is a more languid and laidback chunk of jazz-sampling, funk-fuelled deep house haziness.
Meftah - "When The Sun Falls" (feat Mohammed Meftah) (7:16)
De'Sean Jones - "Psalm 23" (2:13)
Ian Fink - "Moonlight" (Duality/Detroit live version) (8:05)
KESSWA - "Chasing Delerium" (feat Nova Zaii) (3:33)
Specter - "The Upper Room" (10:23)
Raj Mahal - "Hudsons" (2:01)
Raybone Jones - "Green Funk" (6:09)
Whodat & Sophiyah E - "Don't Know" (5:25)
Howard Thomas - "Experiment 10" (4:33)
MBtheLight - "aGAIN" (T edit) (2:48)
Sterling Toles - "Janis" (4:05)
Review: Theo Parrish is a world-renowned name in the global Detroit house and techno game, and he's thrown a fascinating curveball as the latest entrant for the acclaimed DJ-Kicks series. Mr. Parrish has gone above and beyond the duties of most invitees - rather than just licensing tracks from his favourite artists and big-name-friends, he's asked his own community from Detroit to each produce their own mixable tracks, exclusively for the comp. What's more, these are hardly established names - they're organic connections to Parrish, not occupying the top layer of attention and recognition. Bits from H-Fusion, Jon Dixon, Donald Lee Roland II, Ian Fink and Raybone Jones all dominate this anarchic new deconstruction of the otherwise exclusivist mix series.
Review: The word 'legend' gets banded about rather a lot, but it is certainly applicable to West London scene stalwart Kaidi Tatham. Further confirmation of this elevated status can be found throughout "It's A World Before You", a staggeringly good album that marks the musician-producer's first solo set for some seven years. While rooted in the kind of warm, rich and life-affirming jazz-funk-fuelled broken beat workouts with which Tatham is most readily associated (and they're naturally superb), there's plenty of killer diversions dotted throughout. These include a couple of spacey, soul-flecked ambient rubs, a sublime collaboration with hip-hop/modern soul fusionists Children of Zeus, and a fine head-nodding hip-hop jam featuring rapper Uhmeer. In a word: essential.
Review: We know nothing about DSO, but we do know that this is another syrupy serving of pop, deep house and soul that is pure dance floor bait. The first sure fire party starter is 'Baggage' with its gorgeous r&b vocal sample, airy and soulful house grooves and jazzy neo soul piano work. It's a real heart melter to spread love and joy, then things get more funky on the flip. The catchy 'Involved' has a male R&B vocal this time, with more slinky house beats and natty little chord riffs that permeate deep in your soul. If you can't cut loose to this one, you're dead inside.
Review: Here's something to get excited about: a cracking new cut from Detroit deep house legend Alton Miller, backed with a 'Sound Signature' translation from the equally revered Theo Parrish. Miller's version of "Bring Me Down", is something of a treat: a sparkling, starry deep house epic that's blessed with immaculate vocals from soul chanteuse Maurissa Rose. Parrish's translation is equally as stretched out and similarly enjoyable, but is far looser and dustier in feel, with warmer bass and beats that naturally tend towards the jazzier. It's naturally more in keeping with Parrish's work than Miller's, but retains enough of the latter's touches to be counted as a fine remix.
Review: For his latest trick, Alex "Omar" Smith has crafted a killer new tune out of a distinctive gospel soul sample that he first used on much-played 2004 single "Day". Pedants will point out that "That's Me" actually uses a wider variety of sampled loops from the same source track, rather than one specific repetitive section, but either way the results are fantastic. Bumping, distorted, bass-heavy and soulful with more grunt than your average blue movie, the track is a perfect example of how highly effective, life-affirming house music can be made out of the simplest of elements suitably arranged and tweaked. Basically, it's a jazz-flecked, hands-aloft bumper that will get played at a lot of festivals this summer.
In Search Of The Dream (feat Angela Johnson - Lay-Far remix) (6:36)
Distorting Space Time (Fouk remix) (6:56)
Review: The veteran producer's latest EP, in which a quartet of highly regarded producers tinker with tracks from his vast catalogue, contains some real gems. Top of the pile is Ron Trent's rework of "Distorting Space Time", which is not only typically warm, woozy and percussion rich, but also makes great use of some decidedly trippy, delay style effects. Elsewhere, Crackazat grins his way towards piano house anthem territory via an arms-aloft revision of "Latican Boogie", Lay-Far joins the dots between jazz-funk, boogie and sumptuous deep house on a delightful rework of "In Search of the Dream" and Fouk successfully breaks up the beats on a jazzy and bass-heavy mix of "Distorting Space Time".
Review: With some of the best DJs and selectors, there is a certain mysterious sound or underlying feeling which unites the music they play, regardless of genre, year or tempo. British DJ, producer and music maestro Luke Una is a master of telling a story through music and this compilation is a perfect example of his musical alchemy in action. The second volume in his E Soul Cultura series, Una's intriguingly woven pattern of new, old, rare and under-discovered music from around the world became the soundtrack to rejuvenated positivity and won him favour with record outlets.
The compilation isn't just peacocking his crate diving ability, but it's a sonical narrative that engages the ebbs and flows of salsa, nu-disco, psych rock and Balearic. It's a grab bag of sounds, and each one is as intriguing and groovy as the last. Here's to a hopeful trilogy.
Review: Fred Everything's profile may not be as high as it once was, but he continues to serve up high quality treats - as this surprise collaboration with legendary vocalist Robert Owens proves. The latter is in fine form on the EP-opening 'Classic Mix', a warming, musically detailed chunk of vocal deep house positivity that sounds like it was partially inspired by Dubtribe Soundsystem classic 'Do It Now'. Fred Everything also provides two 'BDTW' mixes on the flip: the fluttering synths sounds and vintage Chicago house grooves of the 'Deep Mix', and a more stripped-back 'Vox Dub'. Best of all though is Martin 'Atjazz' Iveson's rework, which recalls the fluid synth sounds, jazzy flutes and intricate percussion programming that marked out his early 2000s work on Mantis Recordings.
Review: Here's something of a pleasant surprise: Studio Barnhus co-founder Kornel Kovacs turning up on Glasgow's masters of all things dancefloor-friendly, Numbers. While there's a little more of a garage swing to opener "Lighthouse" - think darting string samples, booming sub-bass and energetic deep house drums - the Swede doesn't seem to have wandered that far off-piste. So, we get some undeniably classy, jazz-flecked deep house (the rubbery and flexible "Gangsta"), a surging, saucer-eyed dose of piano revivalism ("Malon", featuring Marcus Price, and some suitably jumpy drums), and, best of all, the late '80s Paradise Garage Latin house brilliance of "Pantalon". Stellar stuff, all told.
Mistura - "Want Me Back" (feat Jemini - Jimpster Jazz'd Right Up remix) (6:26)
Joey Montenegro - "Do What You Feel" (Birdee remix) (7:27)
Lakeshore Commission - "In 2 The Light" (feat Bluey - Dave Lee Mind Travel mix) (7:40)
Destiny II - "Play To Win" (feat Angela Johnson - Dave Lee Destination Boogie mix) (7:11)
Review: Z Records' ongoing 'Attack The Dancefloor 'series of compilation style vinyl EPs has long been a reliable source of disco-fired excellence, and this 21st edition is another high-quality affair. We're first treated to a superb Jimpster revision of recent Mistura single 'Want Me Back', where Jemini's spoken word vocal, jazzy keys and spacey synth sounds rise above loose-limbed deep house beats and wiggly TB-303 lines, before Birdee drops a genuinely joyous, organic-sounding disco-house take on 1991 classic 'Do What You Feel' (now credited to Joey Montenegro, rather than his now retired Joey Negro alias). Elsewhere, Lee's own rework of Lakeshore Commission's Bluey collaboration 'In The Light' is a smooth, soulful, string-drenched delight and the veteran producer's 'Destination Boogie' tweak of Destiny II's 'Play To Win' is a revivalist '80s electrofunk delight.
Review: British producer Gerry Read returns with some roughed-up soul/disco workouts on this new one for Pampa, all reinterpreted via his idiosyncratic, lo-fi style. We're loving infectious, dusty opener "It'll All Be Over" with its sweet soul vocal samples, jazzy guitar licks, blocky Rhodes chords. That's not all, label chief DJ Koze contributes another misty-eyed disco-house remix on the flip, careful not to deviate too much from the original, but injecting it with just the right amount of dancefloor dynamics. We're also loving Read's second cut, "Satyricon", with its intoxicating and hypnotic melody, driven by a deep mid-tempo groove peppered with sultry Spanish phrases.
Review: This glorious package of remixes of the BaianaSystem band draws together contemporary Brazilian sounds with plenty of modern dance floor flourishes. A?gua is the standout track from their 2018 LP and is a poem to the bands native Bahia people with the legendary Antonio Carlos & Jocafi. It is perfect material to rework for different settings and deep house don Jimpster does that with his fat bottomed, tropical remix then stripped back dub. Brazilian producer Diogo Strausz joins forces with RNT boss JKriv on the flip for a more drawn out and cosmic exploration that pumps up and down on weight bass and that lovely loose jumble of percussion.
Review: We can confirm that Adam "Admin" Wickens is not only a hugely talented DJ and producer, but also a thoroughly nice chap. Here he makes his bow on Better Listen with a three-tracker packed to the rafters with warmth, soul and groove. Check first A-side "Adjust Your Love", a sample-fired workout that effortlessly joins the dots between disco, deep house and star-kissed jazz-funk, before turning your attention to the chopped-and-screwed samples, toasty sub-bass, languid beats and echoing piano snippets of "Easy Love Dub". The Bristol-based producer rounds things off in fine style via "Horizons", a slightly bouncier house cut that makes great use of some bluesy piano samples and another stoned, glassy-eyed bassline.
Review: Larry Heard once said that he stumped upon his trademark dusty deep house sound rather by mistake - he was simply trying to recreate the instrumental disco of his childhood on the limited machinery he had available at the time. Either way, he went on to explore and exploit its most spiritual and spine-tinging aspects across a faultless discography that often looks to the cosmos for inspiration. That is true of this second volume of his Around The Sun album on his own Alleviated Records. It's another fine showcase of Chicago house, deep house, jazz and r&b that is utterly timeless.
Review: Born less than an hour from Chicago but now based in Detroit, Rick Wade cut his DJ teeth in Michigan's Nectarine Ballroom in the 80s and early 90s, at the same time as a certain Jeff Mills was also making giant strides at the venue. Wade's sound is more rooted in deep house but, as this four tracker demonstrates, there's a cosmic spirituality and otherworldliness to his music that it shares with the best of UR and other notable Detroit greats. We kick off with 'Groove Tool', powered by a beautifully pliable, funky bassline and embellished with floating chords and subtle bell sounds way up in the high frequency range. 'Pimp Prophecy' boasts a little more disco swagger, with its niggling guitar riff and some excellent bongo bashing. 'Jazzy Tears' revolves around a sturdy kick and a processed, timestretched vocal refrain, played off against jazzy guitar chords and strings ascending to the heavens. 'Ooo Ahh' is probably the catchiest of the lot, with a shuffling beat undercarriage and an infectious hook, all wrapped up - as all four tracks are - in some understated but still lush musicality. 'Deep Incantations' indeed.
This Is Message To You (feat Nadine Charles) (4:01)
The Negative Positive (3:17)
What's Good For You (feat Obebewa) (3:27)
Recovered Memories (feat Samii) (3:05)
She Is Virgo (2:28)
What's An Inferiority Complex (4:15)
The Disclaimer (2:04)
Review: Over his long and illustrious career, Dennis 'Dego' McFarlane has made music in many complimentary styles, but it's been broken beat with which he's been associated with for the least two decades. Alongside his friend and regular studio partner Kaidi Tatham, he's developed a particular strain of "bruk" that incorporates elements of jazz, electrofunk, soul, boogie, jazz-funk and, more occasionally, hip-hop. It's this fluid, attractive, synth-heavy sound that's at the heart of The Negative Positive, his first solo full-length for two years. It's as well-made, soulful, slick and musically rich as you'd expect, with a series of stellar vocal numbers joining a swathe of similarly impressive instrumentals.
Review: It might be November but June is Jazzin with this new EP to close out another faultless year for Kai Alce's NDATL. The South African producer starts off with 'Funky Monkey' which is a deep and sumptuous house groove embellished with subtle but real melodies from Oliver Portal. 'Gogo's Stove Smoke' rolls just as deep, with balmy pads drenching the groove in soul and on the B-Side 'Valerie' layers up shuffling beats and heady pad work with a fantastic bassline. It's meditative stuff for cosy basements then 'Harming Man' brings a little more bounce as it closes the EP with sweet synth stabs, steamy vocal coos and warm rolls from the Rhodes.
Review: Diogo Strausz has previously released on Razor-N-Tape as part of the duo Balako but now steps up as a solo artist to kick off the label's 2021. A Sao Paulista now living in Paris, he brings plenty of musicality to the slick 7", firstly with 'Emancipacao,' which is awash with melancholic keys and rich bass but also plenty of fantastic leads from both synths and sax. It's splashy and splashy and colourful disco. '50 Anos Em 5' then gets playful and funky with a Latin twist as the salsa beats an squelchy bass all make you want to spin on your heels.
The Rotating Assembly - "Seasons Of My Life" (feat Billy Lo)
Green Pickles - "Feedback" (feat Billy Lo & M Pittman)
Review: Sound Signature kick off the new year with a pleasing reissue of some smoky soul from Theo Parrish's outlet for his most jazzy tendencies. On "Seasons Of My Life" Billy Lo croons over a muted trumpet while a surprisingly rough stomp gets hammered out of a live kit. It's a dreamy, sunkissed jam with all the loose, free-flowing elements you would expect from something with Parrish's stamp on it. Marcellus Pittman helps out on "Feedback", as a sparser, meandering groove does the nasty with some restrained keys. For that Detroit beatdown flavour away from the dancefloor, this is as good as it gets.
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