JOVONN レコード& CD

Review: For an all too brief period between 1991 and 1994, Jovonn's Brooklyn-based Goldtones imprint was a shining light for a particularly positive brand of underground US house. Musically expansive but focused on the dancefloor, many of the label's releases occupied the middle ground between Nu Groove style New York deep house (think Bobby Konders and the Burrell Brothers, in particular) and the kind of shuffling, organ and synth vibraphone-laden material popular with acolytes of New Jersey legend Tony Humphries. This surprise retrospective on Clone Classic Cuts showcases many of Jovonn's productions for the imprint, joining the dots between the supple grooves and heady melodies of "Flutes (185th Street Mix)", and the intense percussion and tribal yelps of "Back To House (Jovonn's Classic Goldhouse Mix)".