Julius Papp & Lisa Shaw - Miracle (NeoDisco Music)

Legendary San Francisco DJ Julius Papp doesn’t need much introduction in most house music circles. His masterful DJ sets, including his early appearances alongside Mark Farina at the fabled Mushroom Jazz parties, are always stirring. Julius’ discography spanning across classic labels like Nervous Records, Kenny Dope’s Dope Wax, King Street, and OM Records remains highly sought after. The formation of Julius Papp’s own NeoDisco label afforded the freedom of music on his own terms and has yielded a prolific string of singles and Open Mind, his artist album from summer 2010. Julius’ next album, Music Is The Key, is already on the way and “Miracle” is its first single.

For “Miracles” Julius Papp combines forces with another legend, house music vocalist Lisa Shaw. Previously the two had collaborated on the big single “Way Back,” which peaked at #2 on the Traxsource charts, and had been itching for a follow-up. “Miracle” features Lisa’s smooth, timeless vocals up against Julius’ tough house music production, buzzing with punchy bass, building synth stabs, and heaps of dance floor attitude. Julius also provides his Sunset Mixes on a tech-soul tip that sit comfortably between deep house and tech-house, potentially appealing to DJs of both persuasions.

WIth the addition of Smash Hunter on a remix, the legends keep coming strong. Known for his 90’s work on his Nu Breed label as DJ Smash (where he first worked with Lisa Shaw) as well as a DJ career long predating that, Smash Hunter was also a remixer included on the “Way Back” single. He returns for his version of “Miracle,” a sexy, mid-tempo house interpretation that has large dose of disco and soul thrown in for an irresistible concoction. Add Lisa’s heavenly melodies and a beautiful track that can be described as ‘pure magic’ is the welcome result.

Tony Humphries - “Nice, hyped track … Sunset Vocal the one for me.”
Marques Wyatt - “I’m loving this. Julius and Lisa topping it once again!”
Abicah Soul - “That’s a sweet, tender, and lush vocal. I like the key arpeggio stabs. The Sunset Vocal my pick.”
Tyree Cooper - “Smash Hunter did the business!”
Mousse T. - “Dope.”
Grant Nelson - “Wicked!”
Graeme Park - “Absolutely wonderful.”
Master Kev - “Great song! I’m loving the Sunset Vocal and Smash Hunter’s remixes as well. Solid!”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “Wicked sound, The Sunset Vocal and Dub are crazy. Full support!”
DJ MFR (Transport) - ” Excellent delivery from Julius and Lisa. Great rework from Smash Hunter!”
Husky (Random Soul) - “I’m loving the DJ Smash disco vibe.”
Craig Stewart (Universe Media) - “Sunset Vocal is fire, no doubt. I’m loving this jam for the dance floor.”
Marco Fullone (Radio Monte Carlo) - “”Beautiful vocals by Lisa an irresistible groove by Julius! Maximum support.”
Alexandre Klimow (Pure Dance, Belgium) - “Thanks to these legends for this miracle.”

Also supported by King Britt, Quentin Harris, Beppe Gioia, Rasmus Faber, Lars Behrenroth, Robert Owens, Jay West, Groove Junkies, Christos Kedras, Benji Candelario, Doc Link, Hippie Torrales, and Alex Dimitri.

Available now from Traxsource

Permalink

Adnan Sharif - WeR1 (Uniting Souls Music)

Seattle-based label Uniting Souls Music is on a roll with its third solid release of 2012. Presenting Adnan Sharif’s “WeR1,”  a 3-track package sure to heat up the dance floor and burn up the charts. The son of Palestinians, Brazilian-native Adnan Sharif found his passion in San Francisco’s underground dance music scene in the early 90s. His DJ career began in 1995 with his first gig at the legendary party The Gathering. For the past decade Adnan has been promoter and resident DJ at Forward, a monthly which takes place in underground venues and clubs in San Francisco, sharing the stage with the likes of Doc Martin, Maceo Plex, Dixon, Mark Farina, Justin Martin, and dozens more. On the production side, Adnan has contributed to the discographies of labels such as Smoke N’ Mirrors, Tarantic, PR2, and Jah Love.

“WeR1” is a call for a spiritual awakening of sorts, fusing the rhythmic soulfulness of old school deep house with the bass-heavy, tech-oriented vibe of new school. Warm keys, dubby percussion, sultry strings, and some fine vocal drops from Bay Area singer Light Searcher make “WeR1” a solid addition to DJ sets looking for some of that west coast deep house magic.

Two of Seattle’s most prolific artists deliver the goods on the remixes. First comes Pezzner, the man who can seemingly do no wrong. He’s taken a break from recording his eagerly awaited second album for Freerange to deliver this spot on mix for Uniting Souls, his second in as many months. Pezzner is in classic form, creating a textured progression with a ridiculous build designed for peak moments within the deepest of deep DJ sets. It’s some of his best work yet, if he hadn’t already set the bar high enough!

Next up is Michael Manahan, Starborne co-founder, co-producer of Seattle’s internationally-acclaimed Decibel Festival, and the artist behind Uniting Soul’s recent “Regulate The Deep” single. Michael’s Appeasing the Gods Remix provides an ultra deep dose of four-on-the-floor lushness with a minimalistic approach. It’s laced thick with that chill and spiritual Pacific Northwest vibe and is perfect for the late night/early morning hours.

Alland Byallo - “This is Adnan’s best work so far. Beautiful stuff. Really love Pezzner’s mix. So damn good!”
Jimpster - “Pezzner rocks the spot once again! Michael turns in a mighty fine mix, too.”
Diesel (X-Press 2) - “Original and Pezzner mixes are ace. Really like Michael Manahan’s mix, too.”
Thugfucker - “Beautiful release from a beautiful person. Adnan is one of the good guys out there and you can totally feel it in his music. Then Pezzner comes in and kills it as always with his forward thinking grooves. Overall a great release!”
Eddie Spettro - “Pezzner does it again. Lush, moody, changes happen at the perfect places. Fantastic!”
Luke McKeehan (Nordic Trax) - “Deeeeeeep biz from Uniting Souls crew. The Pezzner remix is real good, a treat for the ears. Nice work.”
Lance DeSardi (Bang The Box) - “Pezz comes thru with an awesome remix of an awesome original!”
Gavin Herlihy (Cadenza / Cocoon) - “As ever, Pezzner comes correct on the remix. And the Michael Manshan mix is cool, also.”
Chris Fortier - “Pezzner is the man.”

Additional support from Laurent Garnier, Luciano, Dubfire, Damian Lazarus, Halo, Alexi Delano, Atnarko, DJ Schwa (Shades Of Gray), Dave Mothersole, Giom, Nacho Marco, Lars Behrenroth, Claude Monnet, Ajello, Hippie Torrales, Gavin Hardkiss, DJ Harri (Sub Club), and Murray Richardson.

Now available from Beatport

Permalink

Michael Ruris & Roman Stange - Glow EP (Handmade Recordings)

Introducing Handmade Recordings, a San Francisco-based label embracing a DIY ethic and its city’s history of mixing and matching electronic music styles. The label had its beginnings within the Subculture parties dating back to the year 2000. These parties were known for booking DJs of differing styles, with house, electro-influenced sounds, and techno all sharing time in the booth. As the label developed, its founders strove to capture this diversity, mix it with an old school aesthetic, and apply it to a digital label. With almost monthly releases issued for over a year, Handmade Recordings is on its way to becoming an established staple of the west coast house music scene.

Handmade is pleased to present “Glow” from bay area producer Michael Ruris. Hooked on San Francisco’s distinctive house music sound in its 90’s heyday, Ruris began recording and performing on his own and as part of production teams dotRock and Ribbon. His sound is refreshingly organic and very much influenced by the classic tracks of west coast house music. “Glow” showcases this angle with a chunky, tech-house flow underneath an appealing vocal hook and some understated, funky guitar hits. It’s a fully written song that feels equally at home in peak time club sets, late night radio shows, or early morning ‘back to mine’ sessions. Also included is the Power Bass Line Mix which does what it says on the tin: the bass is amplified and the groove intensified for a little more electricity as needed.

Handmade also has included a bonus track in this package, the War No More Remix of “Come To Me” by Roman Stange. Stange originally hails from the Detroit area, having been in attendence for many early Richie Hawtin sets at The Shelter and on the dancefloor repeatedly at the famed Music Institute. He’s contributed tracks and remixes to the likes of Auralism, Mothership, Aftersoul, and Blipswitch Digital. Now in San Francisco, Stange is working on a techno project with [KONTROL]’s Craig Kuna and hosts multiple club nights. His contribution here is a throbbing after-hours techno track with various nods to a classic sound in arrangement, style, and a familiar vocal sample at the breakdown.

Johnwaynes - “Good house stuff! Handcrafted really well.”
Onionz - “‘Glow’ original mix is rockin’.”
Scott Harrington (Savoir Faire Musique) - “Nice raw sounds, great for my peak time sets.”
Danny Ward (Dubble D / 2020:Vision) “I like the quirky vibe of ‘Glow’!”
Al Bradley (3AM Recordings) - “Great stuff here. The Power Bassline Mix is a killer, will get loads of play from that. Wicked stuff. Also feeling the ‘War No More’ remix, too. Powerful grooves!”
Louis Hughes (Two Deep / 1999 Recordings) - “Now we are talking … This is proper Tech House! Full support.”
Jota Wagner (Lunatic Jazz) - “Really diggin’ the old school techno feel of ‘Come To Me’ … this will be played.”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “‘Glow’ is a cool track … Reminds of the 80’s.”
Tom Hoch (Mile High House) - “Floppy weird house.”
Rob Pearson (Evasive Records) - “Full support on these … Good stuff indeed!”
Bobi (Global Movement on Club FM) - “I love the Power Bassline Mix. I’ll definitely play and chart this one! Great stuff.”
Eric Davenport (Guesthouse) - “I’m digging the groove and built up tension that ‘Come To Me’ delivers.”
DJ Ingo (BOP FM, New Zealand) - “Excellent quality production. I’m diggin’ the funky guitar riffs.”
Jasper Gape (Nerdy Frames blog) - “Damn, this is good!”

Available now from Juno Download and Beatport

Permalink