Review: The original deep house don Rick Wade is back in action with yet more of those soul-rooted tones to tickle your emotions and speak to your inner funk. This time he's been snapped up by 20:20 offshoot Fina who know a thing or two about the genre, and Mr. Wade has responded by pushing his sound further into sumptuous sample-laden territory that wakes up his somnambulant sound into something almost feisty. "Sweet Life" rolls on a heartfelt beatdown with romantic string swells and guitar licks, while "The Chateau" gets into a nasty groove with plenty of live drums and dramatic horn blasts before a more typical Wade style emerges on the steady grooving "Jazz Militia". To cap it all off Mr Beatnick delivers a remix of "Sweet Life' that works some fulsome bass into a sparser construction with dazzling results.
Review: The young guns at East London outfit Sneaky Music step up with somewhat of a hybrid release for their third outing. Combining the talents of Michigan maestro Rick Wade and the young blood from the Mobilee stable bringing the feel bang up to date with the remix duties. A Detroit, London, Berlin, house music Bermuda triangle, if you like! Rick Wade tirelessly continues to deliver deep and groove-led original slabs well into his third decade of producing and this luscious EP is no exception. A mix of old school beats with warm vintage keys with long established Mobilee records producer AND.ID almost re-working completely 'Me & You', giving a feel good dance floor filler touch full of mad drum hits and breaks. Whereas Sneaky label founder and newly Mobilee family member Ranacat comes up with a trippy lower tempo version of 'Neuro Stimuli' for those after party sunrise moments.
Review: You'd expect a collection of tracks from the likes of Rick Wade and Anton Zap on esteemed deep house imprint Shanti to be pretty nifty, and - predictably - it is. With five soft focus excursions to choose from, there's plenty to get excited about - not least Wade's contribution. "Sexy Rostov" is as smooth and silky as we've come to expect, with enough bottom end groove to please all but the most bass-obsessed rave urchins. Zap's "We Are Satisfied" is equally simmering, but the real revelation is "Marwencol" by the St Petersburg Disco Spin Club - an unfeasibly beautiful slice of slow house brilliance that boasts some particularly intricate piano arrangements.
Review: With a 30-plus-year career, Rick Wade's name is spoken in reverent tones in deep house circles, thanks mostly to the output of his Harmonie Park label. For the past decade or so, he's found a regular home at Japanese label Unknown Season, and this 'best of' is really an omnibus that brings together the various EPs he's made for them, rather than a definitive, career-spanning anthology. There's still much to enjoy, though, from the fluttery, uplifting Latin-jazz-soul of 'Shinjuku Strut' to the eyes-wide-shut 4am dancefloor throb of 'Angry Orchestra', the soulful house shuffle of 'Gotta Have Jazz' and the lounge-y 70s funk nostalgia of 'After Dark'.
Review: Detroit straight-hitter Rick Wade is no stranger to some serious house flexing, and the man has always provided us with reliable grooves and vibes of the years mainly through his Harmonie Park label. He's on Popcorn right now, though, with the warm and glowing touch of "Your Strength", a tune that reminds us of the sort of sample-laden, soulful house that Mr G is accustomed to; Flabaire's remix strips the whole thing down and takes it on a jazzy tip. "Warm Up" "Warm Up" is more of a bald-faced Chicago jacker that peeps like Brian Harden would much appreciate, while "Meditation" is slow, incandescent and verging on the hip-hop end of things... Matsa's remix ensures some Balearic waves are added to the equation.
Review: A trio of treats from Sol Recordings, who've asked regular contributors Rick Wade, Lulu Gaultier and Arkaitz to get Lost in the name of deep house. It's Detroit house legend Wade who surfaces first, stumbling groggily towards the camera clutching a deep and bumping roller full of off-key chords and twinkling melodies. Gaultier appears next, unveiling the hypnotic tech-house grooves and lost-in-the-music vibes of "Amore-propre". Then, just when all hope seemed lost, Arkaitz emerges from a damp and foggy night with the EP's standout moment - the gentle but bumping, sax-laden wizardry of "Gau".
Review: Having re-introduced themselves to house heads via 2019's "Dignity" on Exploited Ghetto, long-serving German deep house duo Luna City Express are on a roll. Here they mark their first appearance on similarly experienced French imprint Robsoul Recordings via a typically tidy three-tracker. EP opener "Delight" is a pleasingly lolloping affair, with genuine percussive swing, addictive (if foreboding) chords, jazzy bass, rich Rhodes riffs and just the right amount of off-kilter energy. The experienced pair moves further towards stab-happy peak-time deep house territory on the hypnotic but energy-packed "Think About You", before tough, bongo-laden beats, James Brown samples and thickset organ riffs create a sweaty, carefree mood on EP highlight "Tribalism Disco".
Review: Detroit deep house legend Rick Wade knows the importance of keeping a soul flavour running throughout his work. These three new releases on Yore Germany are no exception, with the title tune dripping with sophisticated loops of strings and blaxploitation-styled brass. All arranged to perfection of course by Wade, who knows instinctively how to lay a deep groove and how to bring it back up again. "Forever Pimp" is a masterful disco-house joint which fills out the sound with Rhodes and a host of retro synths, while "Moving On" is a jacking house tune that features head-turning loops of eastern flutes swirling around the mix.
Review: Detroit's Rick Wade can always be relied upon to deliver high grade deep house, usually with a nod to soul, disco or jazz. The Duke Of Detroit, an EP extended by a slew of remixes, doffs a cap to all those influences. Perhaps the instant standout is the warm, jazzy and pleasingly loose "The League", though the soaring, feelgood disco antics of "Worldwide Disco" - all addictive funk guitars, simmering strings and dreamy female vocals - gives it a run for its money. The deeper, warmer "Hey Boy" and "Say To Myself" are, predictably, also superb. As for the remixes, there's plenty to enjoy, from the classic US garage bump of Black Ride's rework of "Hey Boy", to the dirty analogue bass and percussion onslaught that is Los Flaminhoes' version of "The League". Impressive stuff.
Review: Deep house veteran Rick Wade comes to Germany's Rawax label with a predictably high-quality four-tracker. The title track tops a chugging, lolloping bassline and delicate keys with a looped "Where do you come from? Another galaxy" vocal snippet, while 'Dirty Wave' is a midpaced groover that'd be equally at home in the warm-up or on the sofa. 'Gambit' is another hazy, discofied looper and not unreminiscent of Kerri Chandler's work as Kaoz 6:23, while completing the EP is 'Back To The Darkness', a small-hours excursion that pairs tuff beats with more of those haunting keys and a vocal sample that sounds like Vincent Price, but probably isn't. Classy stuff!
Review: Underrated legend of the Detroit underground Rick Wade returns, with a surprising appearance for meme house hipsters Shall Not Fade - following up some great ones by Adriyano, DJ Boring and Mall Grab in recent times. The Harmonie Park boss man delivers some proper house like the big man upstairs intended - soulful/emotive but most off all: deep! From the emotive late night bounce of "Oh Yeah", the bittersweet mood lighting of "Inner Most" perfect for dancing by yourself and the smooth "Zero Ningen" proving for something a bit more uplifting and absolutely life affirming.
Review: Audiojack are really pushing the boat out to celebrate the fifth birthday of their label, Gruuv. They plan to release two mix CDs of unreleased music, with each disc split into three EPs. This second EP boasts more selections from the "day" mix, beginning with the low-down throb, held-note chords and fluid electronics of Gorge's "Square Wave Romance". There's a little more a jackin' flavour to Waifs & Strays' bouncy "Beat On The Drums", while Julien Chaptal serves up equal doses of snappy beats, darting bass and hummable vocals on "Number 4". Finally, Luna City Express expertly blend far-sighted electronic melodies and swinging drums on the standout "Tell Me When You Ready".
Review: Has Rick Wade ever made a mediocre record? In the 28 years since he made his debut, the Michigan producer has delivered so many impressive deep house EPs and albums that his name has become a byword for quality. His latest EP, a surprise outing on Bristol label Shall Not Fade, is another doozy. It includes some surprises, too, with closing cut 'Quantum Jit' delivering not deep house thrills, but deliciously percussive, far-sighted, melody-rich drum and bass! If course, elsewhere on the EP it's quality, club-ready deepness all the way, with the alternately percussive and jazzy 'Kabukicho' and ultra-immersive 'Late Right' standing out. The latter is undoubtedly a genuine early morning delight, with smoky sax and comfy chords catching the ear.
Review: Rick Wade delivers three deep originals on Holic Trax this March with a Tomoki Tamura edit in tow. One swift look at Rick Wade's staggering back catalogue, from a career spanning more than 20 years, will attest to the Detroit-based producers raw talent in the studio, crafting grooveladen rhythms into cuts that exemplify the word deep. In his latest EP, 'Tech Breed', Rick demonstrates his inimitable production prowess across three expertly forged tracks. Straight from the off you can hear Wade's knack for creating synergy between analog gear and digital software as the title track ensues with an undulating groove that's quickly accompanied by subterranean synths for mesmerizing results. With 'Groovy' the percussion shifts to bongos, whilst ethereal atmospherics and otherworldly notes maintain a mood both arcane and dusky. The tone then shifts in 'Whoa Children' with a sharp injection of funk triggered by soulful vocals and a pulsing bassline - its sultry, smooth and guaranteed to get your body moving. In a sentence, the cuts offered up here ooze soul and vibrancy in a deep way that only Rick Wade can purvey, three warm and groovy cuts that will no doubt be finding their way into many a record bag this year. Holic Trax head honcho Tomoki Tamura delivers an equally dynamic club tool for the final offering on this excellent EP.
Funkopolis (Emotion's One Take edit Jam) - (6:41) 120 BPM
Review: Detroit legend and Harmonie Park main man Rick Wade is back with a nice new EP on Rymd for all of you who like it deep. First up "Strong Arm" is proper deep house that is often imitated but hardly matched. From the unmistakable knack of its groove to its swirling and mesmerising Rhodes in the foreground. "Funkopolis" gets deeper and as the name suggests has a totally killer bassline and just generally awesome soul goodness going on! Proper Detroit style representing here. Italians Deep 88 and Emotion (Ignacio) turn in some surprisingly good remixes on the flip that do their job well by not deviating too much from the originals and reworking the grooves into decent alternate versions. Recommended.
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