Back catalogue: Deep House

Review: The legendary Detroit house maestro returns with a fresh batch of deep house gems that exude soul and finesse. The EP kicks off with 'Dusk Runner', where melodic keys dance over a subtle, jazzy undertone and a gentle funk that keeps the groove smooth yet vibrant. 'What I Gotta Do' picks up the pace slightly, blending vintage melodic sounds with a deep bassline that keeps things grounded, offering a classic yet refreshing vibe. On Side-2, 'Get That' delivers hypnotic, soulful energy with gentle rhythms that feel both soothing and invigorating. It's a track built for those blissful, sun-kissed moments. Closing out the release is 'Your Love Is', a track drenched in atmospheric richness, with airy melodies and a midtempo flow that invites deep reflection while keeping the dancefloor warm. Overall, this EP is a step above many in this style, blending crisp rhythms, soulful melodies and that unmistakable Detroit touch.

Review: Detroit's Rich Wade is a human production line of always effective and subtly charming house music that provides a great foundation for any set. He is a master of cooking up delightful loops and deploying them to perfection so that you cannot help but get swept up and taken along for a ride. 'Contact' kicks off here with his signature drums and jazzy melodies that bring a playful edge. 'Low Down' brings funky bass wiggles and disco styled percussion and 'Fade Away' lands with a heavy, sweaty throb while the Philly disco strings add a touch of class. 'Night Chaser' shuts down with a more introspective feel and some emotive chords that heighten the last night mood.

Review: Born less than an hour from Chicago but now based in Detroit, Rick Wade cut his DJ teeth in Michigan's Nectarine Ballroom in the 80s and early 90s, at the same time as a certain Jeff Mills was also making giant strides at the venue. Wade's sound is more rooted in deep house but, as this four tracker demonstrates, there's a cosmic spirituality and otherworldliness to his music that it shares with the best of UR and other notable Detroit greats. We kick off with 'Groove Tool', powered by a beautifully pliable, funky bassline and embellished with floating chords and subtle bell sounds way up in the high frequency range. 'Pimp Prophecy' boasts a little more disco swagger, with its niggling guitar riff and some excellent bongo bashing. 'Jazzy Tears' revolves around a sturdy kick and a processed, timestretched vocal refrain, played off against jazzy guitar chords and strings ascending to the heavens. 'Ooo Ahh' is probably the catchiest of the lot, with a shuffling beat undercarriage and an infectious hook, all wrapped up - as all four tracks are - in some understated but still lush musicality. 'Deep Incantations' indeed.

Review: Almost two years have passed since Detroit deep house man Rick Wade made his bow on Rawax Motor City Edition with the awesome Another Galaxy EP. Happily, we can report that this belated sequel is every bit as alluring as its predecessor. For proof, check A-side 'Delicious', where mazy, mood enhancing electric piano solos, spacey electronics and and woozy, starlight chords stretch out across a bongo-enhanced deep house groove. Wade switches to sci-fi techno/yearning deep house fusion on the equally admirable title track ('Mystic Tech'), before rounding off proceedings via another slab of electric piano-enhanced deep house hedonism ('Nasty Night').

Review: Rick Wade has appeared on Rawax's Motor City Edition series on several occasions, making him one of the imprint's most storied artists. The German label thinks this is his strongest release with them to date, and given the quality of its predecessors, that's a bold claim. We certainly agree that it's a strong EP. For proof, check the tactile, semi-organic deep house dreaminess of 'Ride Home', where woozy Rhodes chords and intergalactic synth sounds ride a typically subterranean groove, and title track 'Detroit Noir', a surprisingly sun-kissed, positive and celebratory affair marked out by smoky sax lines and a rubbery bassline. The fun continues on side B, where the wide-eyed, piano-laden warmth of 'After The Party' is joined by the upbeat, techno tempo wooziness of 'All I Need'.

Review: Its some 21 years since Michigan deep house veteran Rick Wade released his first 12", and his appetite to make and release music shows no signs of dimming. The Vault sees him in ultra-deep Motor City deep house mode, delivering a quartet of tracks blessed with his usual enticing grooves and sleepy atmospherics. There's a loose and organic feel to the title track's undulating chord sequence and disco-influenced drums, while "Wired" pairs hustlin' rhythms with his usual dreamy pads. There's a slightly skippy feel to the beats and chords on "Daybreaker", while "Night Heroes" bobs and weaves around a cymbal-heavy tech-house groove.

Review: Following the recent dip into the Theo Parrish archives that was The Twin Cities, Phil Weeks' Robsoul imprint looks to another one of Detroit's adopted sons in the form of Rick Wade. Like that recent Parrish reissue, Weeks re-releases another three tracks from Wade's bulging discography. The upbeat disco loops of "Players Theme" was originally released on French label Funky Chocolate in 2002 and still sound fresher than anything being plied by the Soundcloud dwellers today, while "Can't You See" from 2003 provides a more soulful take on house music. On the flip, the tracky funk and cascading string melodies of "I Feel Good" originally graced Wade's own Harmonie Park imprint in 1998, but sound no less vital today. Essential.

Review: Eat More House's second salvo of 2019 comes courtesy of Rick Wade, a producer who seems incapable of making poor or mediocre music. His particular brand of Motor City deep house is always on-point and the four tracks here are every bit as atmospheric and groovy as you'd expect. Check first the foreboding analogue bass, punchy beats and simple melodic refrains of "Bmore Banger", before moving on to the deeper and more sedate - but not less dancefloor friendly - warmth of "NY". Over on side B, Wade reaches for the hypnotic beats, raw acid bass and enveloping chords of "Deep Sweet Dreams", before wrapping us in a blanket and offering up a steaming mug of hot chocolate via the wonderfully huggable deepness of "Too Deep". A master at work.

Review: Rick Wade has been serving up quality deep house for so long (since the late 1990s in fact) that each new release he delivers comes with an obligatory "must check" tag. Predictably, his latest missive - his first, we think, for German imprint Eat More House - is packed to the rafters with high-grade cuts. Check first locked-in, head-nodding deep house roller 'Bmore Banger', where minor key chords and trippy electronic noises ride hypnotic beats and a filthy acid bassline, before turning your attention to the hazy, eyes-closed dancefloor deepness of 'NY'. Over on the flip, 'Deep Sweet Dreams' is a heady fusion of metronomic TB-303 bass, snappy drums, suspenseful synth-strings and drowsy chords, while title track 'Too Deep' lives up to its title via shuffling deep house beats, hazy field recordings, ambient style chords and twinkling lead lines.