Rick Wade‘s name has transmitted far and wide from his Detroit home base, garnering heaps of global acclaim for his prolific, high quality output and mercilessly deep and underground DJ sets. In 1998 Rick graced the Viva Recordings catalog with The Harmonie Project EP, a still sought-after classic for the label. Now Rick makes a welcome return to the Viva family with his Heads Only two-tracker, featuring the warm, layered house music that this legendary producer is known for.
“Heads Only” starts things off with a bouncy four-on-the-floor and a strong vocal exclamation that is the track’s cornerstone. Moody strings and pads flow over the rhythm as an ascending bass line pleasingly rattles the speakers. There’s also a perfect ‘lose yourself in the music’-style breakdown to experience. The release’s b-side, “Anger Component”, lowers the tempo just a tad as it raises the funk level. Chiming chords ring over skippy beats, and ambiguous melody transforms into string sample stabs and a gentle horn riff. This cut is reminiscent of some of the finest moments on Rick’s own Harmonie Park label, and intersects nicely with Viva Recordings’ own trademark sound. This single delivers the goods.
Diz (Iz & Diz / Classic Music Company) – “Lovely Detroit dancefloor soul!”
Andrew Duke (Cognition Audioworks) – “Superb. Definitely will be playing these two out.”
Danny Ward (Moodymanc / Dubble D) – “Loving Anger Component here.”
Sumsuch (Colour and Pitch) – “Another brace of stunners from the master – Rick Wade!”
Jorge Font (AUDIO nights radio show) – “A masterpiece, marvelous. Love Rick Wade!”
DJ Jazzy L (Jazzy Lounge Radio Show) – “5/5 on the strength of “Heads Only”, which is a killer track!”
Taigo Onez (Bang Le’ Dex radio show) – “Anger Component is so nice! That proper classic Detroit / Chicago vibe. It’s wonderful!”
Koma (Jacbri Radio Show) – “Anger Component is top notch!”
Bruce Tantum (XLR8R) – “One rarely can go wrong with Rick Wade, and this release is no exception. The usual Wade hotness - gorgeous vibes layered over pumping rhythms. Love it, of course!”
Jon Wesley (Insomniac) – “Heads Only rocks! I can't wait to play it. I love the bassline. I like the deep vibes of Anger Component too. It's nice to hear more stuff from Rick Wade!”
Available Now From: Beatport, Traxsource, iTunes, And Spotify.