Review: Last July, esteemed British producer Henry Wu aka Kamaal Williams treated us to "Phone Call". This was seriously woozy and slo-mo house that got deep, down and dirty. It receives the remix treatment here, first up by legend Jeremy Sylvester (Urban Dubz/Love House) who ups the tempo and injects a swing-fuelled garage rhythm into it for more dancefloor dynamics, as well as the ascendant Arfa (Equal People/Time Is Now) giving the track that UK broken beat sound of the early noughties in impressive fashion.
Review: There's much to admire about Kamaal Williams' contribution to the long running DJ Kicks series, not least the producer, DJ and keyboardist's blend of self-made exclusives (both under his name and his alternative Henry Wu alias) and largely overlooked gems. Highlights in the former category include a stunning live version of "Snitches Brew", the jazzy Latin house of "Projections" (a Henry Wu hook-up with Earl Jeffers) and "Lowrider", a jazz guitar-propelled cut from his collaborative Yusuf Kamaal project. In the latter category, we'd suggest wrapping your ears around Awanto 3's dusty and ultra-deep "Pregnant", the deep jazz-funk bliss of Diggs Duke's "Cause I Love You", the up-tempo dancefloor soul of Peven Everett's "Stuck" and the slow motion wonder that is Steve Spacek's "Hey There".
Review: These two tracks have been causing a commotion ever since they dropped on vinyl earlier in the year. They come from two of the UK's fastest-rising dusty deep house talents, former 22a and Rhythm Section International man Henry Wu and veteran Cardiff beat-maker Earl Jeffers. Opener "Projections", with its' Kyoto Jazz Massive style pianos, Roy Ayers vibraphones, jazz-funk bass and skipping deep house drums, is not only utterly sublime, but also as musically expansive as they come. "Hi Life" is, if anything, even more positive, with the duo trading piano and synthesizer solos lover huggable chord sequences and bumping, New Jersey inspired drums. House records this rich and musically potent don't come along that often, so make sure you don't sleep on this one.
Review: With praise for his collaborative album alongside Yussef Dayes (the fantastic Black Focus) still ringing in his ears, Kamaal Williams dons the familiar Henry Wu guise and embarks on another joint enterprise. This time round, his co-pilot is label-hopping collaborator Tito Wun. As you might expect, 27 Karat Years is a largely deep, jazzy and smoky affair, with the duo exploring a range of rhythms and grooves. There's the soft touch, ultra-deep house of "Don Muller", the hazy ambient boogie of "Andre The Giant Vs Bob Sapp", and the J Dilla tribute vibes of "Cheese N Kraut". Throw in a load of tasty interludes (the space ambience of "Peruvian Gold Theme" being a highlight), and you've got another tasty release from Mr Wu and Mr Wun.
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