downtempo

Make sure you check out Diplo’s Hollertronix version of Michael Jackson’s Smooth Criminal, A Balkanified Bolero and the Indian hit “Awara Hoon” by 3 Mustaphas 3. Enjoy.

The first 4 months have gone by and indeed 2007 has been lucrative for music. As the collective memory is so low these days and there’s so much production and hype, I want to emphasize the better stuff once more. Here’s a short recollection of what I’ve been listening to these past months.

After the Larry Heard post, it’s about time I get a few selected house tracks off my “feature it” directory. The Haaksman & Haaksman remix of Stereotyp’s Keepin’ Me is as massive as it gets, with a muted guitar at the back, female vocals and a funky steppa rhythms.

It’s been a long time since we’ve done a deep/vocal house selection, and meanwhile there’s been some incredible output which usually only makes their ways to DJs’ cases. Here’s a carefully picked selection.

I’ve first heard of Detroit based producer Maurice Herd aka Pirahnahead with an EP on Moodymann’s Mahogani Records and later on a vocal house track with singer Diviniti and his soulful deep house music has always managed to capture my attention.

Heavy Deviance is a soulful, deep house duo from UK. If you like stuff like The Rurals (which you should!) you’d be familiar with the laidback, rhodesy UK house sound.. well add a bit of electro and downtempo beats to it and you get a solid urban album from the fresh Pure-Mint label.