Review: The inimitable Santonio Echols/Next Generation have penned many a great soulful house hit and one of them is 'Bad For Me' which now arrives as a remix package on the NCM Label out of Detroit. First up is Eddie Fowlkes's dub which brings nice warm, smeared chords and allows the vocal to pop out of the mix and bring the sunshine. Ron Carroll's club mix has a little more direct energy in the drums, then the Emanuell Groove mix is a funky one with steamy sax notes up top and nice loose drums. Last of all, the Mannywya Deep dub mix slows things right down to a late-night crawl.
Music Is My Life (Masters At Work remix dub) (4:44)
Review: Louie Vega continues to offer up fresh remixes of tracks from his epic 2023 album Expansions In The NYC. The latest cut to get the rework treatment is Unlimited Touch hook-up 'Music Is My Life', a joyous and gently soulful fusion of disco instrumentation and house nous. There are two mixes from Vega and long-time studio partner Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez as Masters at Work: an A-side full-vocal remix that gently beefs up the house elements and adds some tasty Rhodes licks, and an EP-closing dub in which the storied duo reach for spacey synth sounds, rolling grooves and selected vocal snippets. To complete a strong package, British veteran Dave Lee doffs a cap to his popular 'Remixed with Love' series and re-imagines the track as a punchy disco-funk workout.
Review: Last time out Andreya Triana and The Vision (AKA KON and Ben Westbeech) took us to "Heaven" and back. For their latest single they've asked us to gape in wonder at some suitably sizeable "Mountains". In its original "Extended Mix" form (side A) the track is soulful, slick and seductive, with Triana's superb vocals rising, mountain-like, above a musical panorama rich in dreamy chords, jazz-funk bass, gospel pianos and club-ready beats that sit somewhere between deep house and disco. Danny Krivit is the man at the controls for the flipside remix. He stretches out the track impressively, making a bit more of the spacey synths, guitars and bass while re-framing the track as a soaring slab of piano house brilliance.
The Vision - "Heaven" (feat Andreya Triana - Danny Krivit edit) (6:21)
The Dangerfeel Newbies - "What Am I Here For?" (original NDATL vocal - Danny Krivit edit) (8:45)
Review: Since the 1970s Danny Krivit has been a prolific re-editor. We're used to him cutting up classic cuts - think disco and soul, in particular - but he's never been afraid to turn his talents to contemporary cuts. That's what you get on this surprise Defected release. On the A-side he turns his attention to "Heaven", the killer gospel-inspired modern disco single from The Vision and Andreya Triana, turning in a version with plenty of drops, instrument solos and more emphasis on the righteous, life-affirming vocals. He's in a smoother mode on side B, extended and rearranging the rich and soulful dancefloor treat that is Kai Alce's Original NDATL vocal mix of The Dangerfeel Newbies' "What Am I Here For?" - a gem from 2016 that has previously been criminally overlooked.
Review: Following some great releases by Madrid legend Casbah 73, Secret Rendezvous and Moods, Kraak & Smaak's Boogie Angst returns this week with a new one by German-born/Amsterdam-based Marcel Vogel. The Lumberjacks In Hell chief serves up five typically disco oriented cuts on Games Change; there's the boogie-down vibe of 'Head Back In The Game' featuring a smooth vocal, followed by the late night mood music of 'Keep On Stepping' (extended) featuring another brilliant vocal performance by talented singer Lyma. Over on the flip, they treat you to the low slung affair 'Funk Money' and truly the sensual number 'Popping My Cherry'.
Art Department presents Martina Topley Bird - "Crystalised" (feat Mark Lanegan & Warpaint - Director cut Signature mix) (7:05)
Review: Frankie Knuckles, revered as 'The Godfather of House,' revolutionized music globally from Chicago's underground scene. His legacy, spanning almost four decades, continues through longtime collaborator Eric Kupper. Together as Director's Cut since 2011, they revived classics for modern dancefloors, honoring the 'Def Mix' sound. Their work includes reworks of Marshall Jefferson, Ashford & Simpson, and Frankie's originals, culminating in 'The Directors Cut Collection' on SoSure Music. Featuring hits like 'Your Love' and 'The Whistle Song,' the album commemorates Frankie's fifth anniversary, supported by The Frankie Knuckles Foundation. Eric Kupper's stewardship ensures Frankie's influence endures, shaping the future of house music.
Solu Music - "Fade" (feat Kimblee - Eric Kupper remix) (9:19)
Eric Kupper Presents K-Scope - "Electrikiss" (8:50)
Review: While not as celebrated as many of those he has worked with over the years (most notably his late friend Frankie Knuckles), Eric Kupper has built up a mighty discography, with untold production, remix and engineering credits to his name. A Lifetime in Dance Music celebrates this, picking out eight highlights (with more to come on subsequent volumes) from the New York house great's long and successful career. There's plenty to set the pulse racing throughout, from a fine revision of Depeche Mode's 'Wrong' and the classics organ-and-piano-heavy US garage flex of Degrees of Motion's 'Shine On', to a soaring house makeover of Diana Ross disco classic 'The Boss', a delicious tribal house take on Fuminori Kagajo's 'The Blue', and the immersive, loved-up deep house lusciousness of 'Electrikiss', a cut originally released under his occasional K-Scope alias.
Michal Martyniuk - "New Things" (feat Yanika - Eric Kupper remix) (6:18)
Review: As the title suggests, Eric Kupper has indeed spent a lifetime in dance. This vast 24 track collection celebrates that worthy career in sound and does a fine job of laying bare his influxes, and influences. His fine studio skills are on show across the music which also shows his skills as a remixer. This is a second volume but is one no less superb than the first with top class originals next to his own spins on bona-fide greats such as Whitney Houston, Earth, Wind and Fire, Curtis Mayfield and Moloko.
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.
Mu Ziq - "Twangle Frent" (Special Request rework) (5:52)
FC Kahuna - "Hayling" (Special Request mix) (3:19)
Special Request - "Elysian Fields" (5:31)
Review: The last few years have really seen Paul Woolford reach the top of his game in many different ways. Be it bowel emptying rave as Special Request, festival baiting piano house tunes or chart topping pop dance crossovers under his own name, the man is proving himself to have a real golden touch. He sure does crank out all these tunes at a prolific rate, too, but you still feel he does everything with meticulous precision. This DJ Kicks is a case in point. It touches on all the many different facets of his sound from glossy and feel good house to early Chicago classics, post-rave dreamscapes to brutal jungle breaks. What a legend.
Barbara Tucker - "Beautiful People" (Underground Network mix) (8:58)
Essence - "Moments In House" (Full Effect mix - DJ T edit) (6:17)
Mole People - "Break Night" (13:04)
DJ Sneak - "Keep On Groovin'" (Fat Bottom mix) (7:29)
Wamdue Project - "King Of My Castle" (8:16)
South Street Player - "(Who?) Keeps Changing Your Mind" (The Night mix) (7:41)
Sole Fusion - "Basstone" (Underground Network mix) (7:19)
Review: Strictly Rhythm's 30th anniversary series of "Best Of" double-packs should be an essential purchase for all those looking to grab some high-grade U.S house from the 1990s and 2000s. As you'd expect, there's some genuine peak-time gold to be found on this second salvo in the series. After beginning with the bumping U.S garage richness of Barbara Tucker's gospel-flecked "Beautiful People", the set variously touches on glitchy deep house goodness (DJ T re-editing the "Full Effect" mix of Essence's "Moments In House"), stomping and muscular deep house (DJ Sneak), jazz-funk inspired house dreaminess (the original version of Wamdue's "King of My Castle") and ambidextrous dancefloor sweatiness (the Kenny Dope style breakbeats, heavy bass and woozy pads of Soul Fusion's "Basstone (Underground Network Mix)".
Review: The always highly anticipated and in-demand Louie Vega 5 pack 12" vinyl sampler has arrived! Featuring 18 unreleased tracks, special versions, and dubs, this vinyl set promises to light up dance floors and house parties alike. The incredible lineup includes Bebe Winans, Msaki, NV, Funki Cadets, Axel Tosca, Boddhi Satva, and more. With fresh reworks by DJ Erv and contributions from seasoned artists and emerging talent, this release journeys from Brazil to Africa, Cuba, and New York. Pressed with pristine quality, this limited edition vinyl is an essential for collectors and DJs everywhere.
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