We kick of the new year with the very best and latest in soulful house music - and some surprises... enjoy !!
Angel-A & Oscar P "Be where you are" (Open Bar Music CD Promo)
In its original form, "Be where you are" is a wonderful slice of laid back mid-tempo bliss oozing with Angel-A's inimitable sultry vocals, lush melodies and a smooth organic backing. The remixes take the song to up-tempo territory, with Oscar P serving a gentle yet truly mesmerizing afro-percussive rework (including a gorgeous reprise version), Neal Conway injecting his signature touch to deliver a verily groovey rendition, and last but not least Deep Mayer (Thato Kamiwa) drops an enchanting deep house rendition perfect for late night play.
Wipe the Needle featuring Kenny Bobien "Where I live" (Makin' Moves CD Promo)
Lee Gomez (under his Wipe the Needle and Guyana Son aliases), one of the most prolific UK house music producers of last year, truly blesses with his latest offering "Where I live", a collaboration with larger-than-life house music vocalist Kenny Bobien. "Where I live" is masterly orchestrated with gentle yet enthralling percussive rhythms, exquisite jazzy keys and heavenly chords accompanying the unrivaled falsetto vocals of Kenny Bobien. The 'Guyana Son Remix' gives the song a deeper verily dreamy feel while keeping the overall vibe soulful and melodious. Put differently, a "Where I live" is a wonderful timeless slice of soulful house music heaven...
Twism & B3rao & Richie Roberts & Groove N Soul featuring Fil Straughan "Follow me" (Soulful Legends CD Promo)
Turn back the clock to 1992 when then world danced to the iconic "Follow me" by Aly-Us (released through the legendary Strictly Rhythm label), a classic slice of raw unadulterated underground house music having stood the test of time. Fast forward to 2017, and we are graced with a respectful truly splendiferous contemporary remake by Twism & B3rao, Richie Roberts and Groove N Soul which features an utterly haunting rendition of the memorable lyrics by Fil Straughan alongside enchanting keys and smooth yet relentlessly thumpin' rhythms.
Pour le Connaisseur: Kingdon "Cuba" (The Remixes)(Disco Soul Gold Promo)
Mid-December of last year, Disco Soul Gold released the beautiful laidback "Cuba" by Kingdon (aka Chris Kingdon, one half of Mather & Kingdom), a phantasmagorical slice of hypnotizing nu-jazz/funk, now the 2017 remixes are ready. The 'Ken at Work Remix' transforms this beauty into a lively up-tempo NuYorican inspired jewel, while the 'Havana Central Mix' oozing with a mesmeric latinesque feel is an expertly crafted re-imagination of the original taking the song to the next level.
Pour le Connaisseur: SoulFusionSeven "Steppin' up my love" (T-Groove Remix)(Disco Soul Gold Promo)
In late 2014, the amazing "Smooth Winter Soul 2014" compilation was released through TGEE Records which includes the wonderful "Steppin' up my love" by SoulFusionSeven (aka John Saltwell and Paul Baker). A while ago, T-Groove created a marvelous remix of the song however only recently his remix was served to selected DJ's who immediately starting praising it (some of them even named it 'best of 2016'). To make a long story short, T-Groove's interpretation is an essential slice of top-notch modern soul on an old skool boogie-soul inspired tip.