Ron Trent

Review: The incorrigible Master Jams has just gone and reissued four of the hottest Chez Damier cuts, originally out on the timeless - and much coveted - Prescription Records out of Chi-Town. The first cut "I Wouldn't" sees Damier team up with Dpac and T FM to produce a bright and sparkly house groove for the Saturday evening crew, followed by the deeper, jazzier, more disco-centric beats and bass banging of "I Remember Dance" featuring Ralph Lawson and Carl Finlow. The magic comes on the flip, however, where Damier teams up with like-minded legend Ron Trent on the glorious "Foot Therapy", and the rolling punch of drums and bass that is "Now Is The Time". Don't even think twice - cop on sight!

Review: Ron Trent has long been an archetypal deep house producer, no matter what alias he assumes. Here he becomes RT Factor on the Electric blue label. Of course, it is another high class and timeless offering that features just one epic 15 minute deep house journey. All the usual traits are present and correct - supple and rubbery drums, spiritual chords and majestic key playing that all effortlessly drift in and out of the mix to make for something smooth flowing and compelling throughout. All these years after starting out and re-writing the rules, Trent is still the man to beat at this deep house game.

Review: Chicago house master Ron Trent is back on his own Electric Blue stable, surfaces back onto our shelves under his iconic RT Factor alias. No introduction is needed for this man and what he's done for house music since the early 1990's, so we'll just go straight to the music, and see what he's onto in early 2016. The A-side is populated by "Who Are We?", a bumpy, energetic house lick with a full groove made up of layers upon layers of pads, rich melodies, and euphoric vocals - a true house beaut. On the flip, "What Does It Mean" is harder and a little deeper, but Tren't sense of music still heavily features thanks to a gorgeous line of piano keys. The good shit.

Review: Lavish soul feels from the one and only Trent right here. Having told us about the scientific art of storytelling many years ago, here he returns with his own beautiful yarn about the legend that is Johnny Hammond. Other tales include the sultry, dusky Balearic jam "The Tone" where fretless bass and fluttering brushed drums are the order of the day. Finally "The Place Inside" takes us right out to shore with soft vocal harmonies, light keys and a sense of sunset magic. Salinas crew this one's for you.

Review: Chicago house legend Ron Trent still has the magic touch. It's getting close to thirty years since his first releases began trickling out of the second generation of the Windy City's house scene, but the producer and DJ still knows how to lay down the utter truth. "Time & Space" is a classic Trent joint, where the spark is lit thanks to warm glow of dubby beats accompanied by sweet, mesmerising licks of instruments floating in mid-air. "Bass To Love" is as gentle and moving, but the sounds linger towards the higher end of the tune, where driving pads fuse gracefully with cascading synth solos to form a thick and wide-eyed wall of house for the deeper end of the DJ spectrum.

Review: Love Affair has long been one of Ron Trent's most in-demand 12" singles. It was originally released on Clubhouse Records back in 1992, and has since become something of a must-have for fans of the Chicagoan's particularly brand of musically rich deep house. This timely reissue on the ever-reliable Chiwax imprint features all six mixes from the original 12", from the emotive, piano-laden sweetness of Ron's Soulful Mix, to the sweaty, low-slung groove of Ron's Beatnik Mix. There's also a pair of rather fine reworks from Braxton Holmes, a once-lauded Chicago producer whose last solo release sadly came 12 years ago.

Review: There are few more iconic or influential deep house cuts than Ron Trent and Chez Damier's 1995 collaboration "Morning Factory". Reportedly inspired by the very particular vibe of early mornings at important early '90s NYC club Sound Factory, the track has remained a staple of late-night DJ sets for the last quarter of a century. Here the track gets the reissue treatment in the superior unabridged, nine-minute-plus "dubplate" mix form. For those that have not heard it, "Morning Factory" provides a near perfect fusion of spaced-out early morning chords, trippy electronic motifs, tactile synth-bass, swirling noises and softly shuffling, hypnotic beats. Basically, it's one of the best deep house tracks ever made and if you don't own a copy already, you should grab one of these ASAP!

Review: This is the first in what is said to be a new series of special Prescription reissues, remasters and retakes. It kicks off in bold fashion with label head Ron Trent's remixes of Indigo Tracks' "Rites & Rituals" which laid down an early blueprint for Afro house that has never really been bettered. It is alive with congas, hand drums and toms that bubble and boil over a deep, tribal groove. Two different remasters take the tracks in deeper, then more soulful and spiritual directions that are utterly hypnotic and enchanting. Looks like this could well become a vital series.