Review: Well over two years has passed since the release of Keeping The Legacy, a compilation style EP featuring tracks inspired by "the classic sounds from Chicago, New York and Detroit". This belated follow-up begins with something rather special: a fine Jorge Caiado 'Morning Dub' of lesser known Abacus and Chez Damier hook-up "Closer". While it boasts their usual chunky, groovy bottom-end, the mix also makes great use of a yearning, cyclical electronic melody. Elsewhere, James Duncan delivers the hazy deep house bump of "416 Zone (Dub Mix)", Jacksonville laces dreamy, drifting chords over a killer bassline and heavy percussion on "Twilight Industries", and Satore reaches for the cowbells and Gwen Guthrie vocal samples on the disco-influenced throb of "Keep On".
Review: House of Chez is the new label from the legendary American deep house pioneer Chez Damier. It follows involvement with the seminal Prescription with Ron Trent in the 90s, then his own Balance, and finds him once again serving up super fresh grooves. He appears himself on 'Together' with his French studio partner as H2H and also Damian Rausch and the tune is pure and steamy house deepness. Elsewhere Emanuele Barilli gets dreamy with 'Unconscious Relief', there is a soulful vocal to the dry beats of Mosis's 'Pick It Up' and Oscide's 'No Use' is a little more prickly and direct.
Review: The Glenview juggernaut continues full steam ahead here with I Wanna Go Back, a second 12" single to be culled from the Change Request album Tangible Illusion and it features a collaboration with House Music royalty Chez Damier. Wonderfully low slung, "I Wanna Go Back" is soulful, funky, spacy, dubby, and finds Damier and Change Request producer Andrew Emil dovetailing with aplomb - check the piano line on the original album edit! Complementing this, there are no less than three remixes to choose from with Glenn Underground, Space Coast, and Dave Allison all contributing - for the record the Freeform dub from the latter just swings it for us.
Ralph Lawson, Chez Damier & Carl Finlow - "I Remember Dance" (6:43)
Ron Trent, Chez Damier - "Foot Therapy" (6:35)
Ron Trent, Chez Damier - "Now Is The Time" (5:53)
Review: The incorrigible Master Jams has just gone and reissued four of the hottest Chez Damier cuts, originally out on the timeless - and much coveted - Prescription Records out of Chi-Town. The first cut "I Wouldn't" sees Damier team up with Dpac and T FM to produce a bright and sparkly house groove for the Saturday evening crew, followed by the deeper, jazzier, more disco-centric beats and bass banging of "I Remember Dance" featuring Ralph Lawson and Carl Finlow. The magic comes on the flip, however, where Damier teams up with like-minded legend Ron Trent on the glorious "Foot Therapy", and the rolling punch of drums and bass that is "Now Is The Time". Don't even think twice - cop on sight!
Last Session - "Sometimes I Feel Like" (Chicago vox mix)
Last Session - "Sometimes I Feel Like" (Mid 80 Feel mix)
The Innocent - "Jack Another Day" (System Exclusive mix)
The Innocent - "What Do You See" (Try It mix)
Review: While we've never been short of versions and issues of the evergreen house classic "Sometimes I Feel Like", it's not so often that the full vocal cut featuring Alton Miller gets an airing, and it sounds resplendent on this remastered reissue. The "Mid 80 Feel Mix" is also present for those who prefer their vocals looping into infinity. The original inhabitant of the B-side remains, with Derrick Carter in an early appearance with the weird and squiggly bump of "Jack Another Day" and the essential rub and tug of "What Do You See" with its moody organ bass and clattering percussion.
Review: It's a good time for fans of 2020 Vision boss Ralph Lawson as his production career enjoys a resurgence thanks in no small part to the high calibre of producers he has linked up with over the years. Chez Damier too has enjoyed some reissue love lately, and their partnership yielded plenty of fruits, including this impeccably crafted tech house burner "The Moment", all submerged chords and urgent rhythmic thrust. "Attraction" with Tuccillo is a lighter affair, dropping some catchy arpeggios and friendly chord stabs into a snappy deep house number, while "Lost In Time" finds Carl Finlow lending a hand for a sultry blend of brooding bass and ambient haze.
Review: West Yorkshire's finest house label Hudd Trax - named after Huddersfield, of course - kicks out more essential and timeless jams here with Eddie Leader at the helm. Kids in The Streets feature on this package which includes a single and several different versions. The original form of 'Pressure' is a lovely deep house groove with warming chord vamps and smoky vocals. There's a subtle skip to the drums that really locks you in, then comes an Instrumental Mix that makes more of the starry synth work. The dub has fatter, heavier low ends and a 90s New York vibe, then a Dubstrumental closes out another tidy package.
Speechless (Garrett David & Michael Serafini - Queens mix) (7:29)
Review: BM Muzik drop their first 12" after an initial string of digital-only releases and it's a collaborative effort by five handsomely handpicked remixers, all of them rewiring the "I Am With You" club nugget by Eddie Leader, Chez Damier, Tomson, Siler & Dima and Thomas Zander. Tomson comes in on the attack with his hard-hitting, chord-heavy dub version; Jorge Caiado injects a minimalistic edge to his cut; Djebali's instrumental dub is pure class as the man leaves in the original's glorious and memorable main hook; Garrett David and Michael Serafini drop a touch of swing on their dusty house rework - class
Review: From the executive producer Chez Damier comes a Special Edition release marking the 20th Anniversary of Balance and Prescription records. Opening proceedings are The Mission, a Swiss group whose "Lavida (Life)" was produced by Damier in collaboration with Italian producer Demetrio Giannice; the results are a deep, chord driven number replete with chopped vocals and a notably jazzy feel at the break of the track. Next up are Siler & Dima and Thomas Zander, a trio of young Parisian producers whose more minimally minded "Inappropriate" was clearly conceived with the early works of Ron Trent and Chez Damier in mind. Speaking of Ron and Chez, the B Side is dedicated to a newly remastered version of the rare Prescription Underground mix of the pair's classic "The Choice" which sounds totally fresh some twenty years on.
Review: Hot on the heels of 2021's stellar release of The French Connection's "Speechless" LP, Balance head honcho and legendary producer and DJ Chez Damier teams up again with Camille and Adeen Records for another trip around the the world with Lima, Peru's Surco's Groove, "The Lima Project." This beautiful release titled "What Is Love?" delivers hard hitting versions of the track in the original, dub, instrumental, and an acapella with stellar remixes from Snad and German producer Damien Rausch. Be it France or Peru, Balance and Adeen knows how to take you on a musical journey. We can't wait to see where they go next!
Synthcast, Pagal & Eddie Leader - "The Bass" (Agnes Knees Down mixx) (6:46)
Iron Curtis - "You Are" (6:44)
Review: Hudd Traxx celebrate their 10th Anniversary and 50th Release in style with a 4 part Compilation called 'Now & Then'. The first part includes tracks from Chez Damier, Tomson, Agnes & Iron Curtis. Over the years Hudd have released music from the likes of Matthew Herbert, DJ Sneak, Rolando, Rick Wade, Iz & Diz, JT Donaldson and a whole load more. The concept behind the release celebrates both new & classic tracks on the 'Now' & 'Then' sides respectively. Man of the moment Tomson kicks things off with a typically straight up House number entitled 'On The Buttons', and definitely is right on them with this one. Chicago legend Chez Damier steps up to the plate next with an Epic Deep House groover with elements of soulful Jazz, which will be well received for those late night or early morning sets. Flip for the 'Then' Side & find 2 Classic tracks with Agnes remix of 'The Bass' & Iron Curtis' 'You Are'. Both still sound as good as they did on their initial release, and prove that buying Hudd Traxx music now will still sound as fresh in another 10 Years time.
Review: REPRESS ALERT: It was undoubtedly a big moment for Hudd Traxx when they got Chez Damier on board to lend his vocal tones to Eddie Leader and Tomson's "I Am With You" back in 2014. A few years on and Huddersfield's premier house label are revisiting the modern classic with a raft of top shelf remixers on hand. Iron Curtis brings a bubbling, piano-enriched lilt to the jam, while Bristolian duo Outboxx go for an understated slice of straight up deep house. Ekkohaus gets busy with chunky tech house concoction, and then Sakro smooths the mood out with some jazzy keys and a steady groove.
Review: Both legends in their own right, the musical partnership of Chez Damier and Ron Trent created some of the most cherished moments in the history of house music. On The Best Of Chez N Trent Vol 1, you can enjoy hard to find versions of some of their timeless classics, such as their anthem 'Sometimes I Feel Like' which arrives in the form of the Chicago Vox Mix, as well as 1993's 'The Choice' which appears here as the infectiously bumpin' Full Dosage Mix. There is also an exclusive in the form of the previously unheard 'Warfare' (Short Mix). Proper emotive and sensual deep house done proper by two masters of the art.
Review: There are few more iconic or influential deep house cuts than Ron Trent and Chez Damier's 1995 collaboration "Morning Factory". Reportedly inspired by the very particular vibe of early mornings at important early '90s NYC club Sound Factory, the track has remained a staple of late-night DJ sets for the last quarter of a century. Here the track gets the reissue treatment in the superior unabridged, nine-minute-plus "dubplate" mix form. For those that have not heard it, "Morning Factory" provides a near perfect fusion of spaced-out early morning chords, trippy electronic motifs, tactile synth-bass, swirling noises and softly shuffling, hypnotic beats. Basically, it's one of the best deep house tracks ever made and if you don't own a copy already, you should grab one of these ASAP!
Review: Volume 4 of the Make Up series is another doozy and this one brings together accomplished house heads Camille, Chez Damier, and Nico Lahs in a celebration of underground disco classic "through the lens of 60's and 70's underground comix." Similar to these rebellious reads, the tracks on this release carved their niche with purists seeking distinct and thrilling sounds. Across the double album, Camille's contributions include Mystic Pleasure's 'Back Door (Getting Down)' and Cold Fire's 'Badder Than Bad' which both bring soulful melodies and infectious rhythms, Chez Damier adds Fascination's 'Shine My Love' and Bileo's 'You Can Win' with shimmering vocals and funky basslines and together, they make for an exhilarating mix of disco brilliance.
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