It’s pretty interesting when you get as deep into certain genres like I do, and you start to see how much tracks are influenced by stuff from the past, or how that older stuff gets brought back to life, or even still, how different things get mixed together to create something new that blurs genre lines and makes you question what encompasses what. Here are some interesting variations on the deep house theme.

Benoit & Sergio – What I’ve Lost – Boy Trouble EP

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are a DC-based duo that you had better know about if you want to look cool this spring and summer. They got their first break on Bruno Pronsato’s thesongsays label in 2009, continuing with a single on Ghostly’s dancefloor-centric Spectral Sound imprint, and a swath of new material on DFA and , the newly defined label of the eminent Seth Troxler, still presiding aptly as deep house’s crown prince of…well, whatever he is prince of, it’s something…and his two friends you may also have heard of, Ryan Crosson and Lee Curtiss. Benoit & Sergio have developed a very interesting sound that combines techno (or as Troxler jokes his German comrades can’t resist to pronounce it, “teshno”) with the kind of pop sensibility that conjures forth imaginings of Paul Simon waking up half way through the party from a K binge. Their A-side spring hit just got mentioned on ISO50 by Jakub, who also recognizes the amount of play this kind of stuff should be receiving as the season starts to heat up, check out more if you dig.

Betamax – Just For You – Robsoul Sampler (ltd 29)

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As soon a you hear the vocals kick in on this song, you will know exactly why I’ve posted it. I know a few people out there have been getting sick of all the Ableton-powered mashups that have been floating around, I’ll admit being guilty of fashioning a dancefloor-oriented Radiohead mashup using a melody-deprived Manik track, but sometimes it works. The challenge with bringing real hip hop to the dancefloor is that drastic BPM difference that rarely passes 100 in hip hop, and barely drops below 120 in house music. In this case, the huff and puff of the lyrical play of the SV makes an interesting combination with the wonky mid-range synth arrangement…gotta love that cowbell sounding instrument too, and how Betamax just decided to let the track roll for a bit as the song plays out. This track appears on a Robsoul compilation, dig deeply through their catalogue and you’re guaranteed to find some gems.

Joss Moog – Blooming – Room Number 27

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As a matter of fact, Robsoul has been going full-speed ahead over the last few months, with the recent release of veteran producer ‘ newest, which has been garnering chart love from DJs worldwide, among others. Joss Moog is one of those cats who either was around when deep house first became a distinct subgenre of house in the early 90’s, or maybe woke up after a really intense dream where some midtown Manhattan transvestites imbued him with the magic of that classic house sound. Either way, producers who get at the heart of what made deep house come to embody all that is desirable about house music in the first place get the props. All the biters and uninspired tracks trying to cater to the wrong ears get the “next” button.

Homework – Whipped Cream – Hudson Square

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really had me in their clutches with their newest EP on Exploited, called . If you give a listen to their catalog of tracks and remixes, you might not be sure what they are in terms of genre, they have some tracks that are deep and sensual, others that are abrasive and electro, and others still that are tribal-sounding tech house. Well, Hudson Square is a focused bit of production work that brings that classic feel, complete with the soulful female vocal nostalgia I love. Nothing more distracting than a release that’s all over the place, you can keep it diverse and fresh, but do your Homework and keep it across releases and leave the ideas cohesive and intact on your EPs. Thank you.

Posted in Music Posted by on Mar 17 2011 12:00 pm

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