From Istanbul comes Deep House Proposal, an enterprise that organically evolved from a Turkish club night to a well-received podcast and then eventually an ambitious label focusing on the deeper side of the house music spectrum. The idea was conceived in 2009 by DJs Berk Doan and Baris Bergiten who simply wanted to promote a style of music they wanted to hear, and were not hearing enough of. After programming many club events and acquiring tens of thousands of regular listeners to the Deep House Proposal podcast, the pair have honed and narrowed down the vibe of the label, warmly expressed on their debut release.
The first Deep House Proposal release is the two track Between Us EP, helmed by up-and-coming DJ/producer Gurhan. With previous releases on Dark Pleasure, Keepitpure, and Muenchen, Gurhan is quickly making a name for himself via underground circles through his sweeping, lush deep house sound. Gurhan’s Dream Catcher EP received plays from the likes of Lukas Greenberg, Steve Lawler, and Mihalis Safras, while “Bakarsın” hit the top ten charts on Istanbul’s influential Dinamo FM.
“Between Us" starts things off with a melancholy synth pad soon giving way to a tight house music rhythm and repetitive bell-like melody line. A warm, throbbing bass fills the low end while distant pads hit with filtered sweeps to create an evocative sense of space. Reminiscent of Timewriter’s earlier works, "Between Us" can easily sit among the deepest of tracks in an after-hours DJ set. Up next, Gurhan raises the energy with "What You Say,” a driving cut that is characterized by its heavy, rolling bass line, and rhythmically chanted vocal hits. The cut builds nicely as well-placed breakdowns lead to dramatic crashes and airy sweeps. While still firmly in the deep house realm, “What You Say” has enough pump and groove to welcome it into the virtual crates of discerning tech-house jocks. All in all, a superb debut release from Deep House Proposal, and a promising signal of things to come.
Scott Hardkiss (God Within / Art On Air Radio) - “I’m happy to be turned on to this one … ‘Between Us’ is a great, great track. Modern and spacey, but still dripping with emotion. Keep ‘em coming!”
Les Wright (The Sunday Alternative / Ambersound FM) “Very nice production. I particularly enjoyed the way ‘Between Us’ builds up.”
Will SumSuch (Urban Torque / Seven Music) - “Really nice, bass heavy Deep House.”
Kiko Martínez (Doce Pulgadas Radio Show / Ibiza Global Radio) - “Both tracks are nice and deep. Thanks!”
Dino Michael (Good Hope FM / Godfathers House Radio Show) - “Awesome! Full support on my show and in the clubs … Kicking deepness!”
DJ Bonehead (Heads Up & Sundada Radio) - “‘Between Us’ is the jam!”
Velanche (Urban Landscapes Radioshow / KCPR 91.3 FM) - “Out of the gates, a nice first release full of Deep House … It has a sense of play that makes it a cut above the usual house fare.”
Al Bradley (3am Recordings) - A fantastic release from Gurhan! Both tracks are exquisite Deep House productions. ‘Between Us’ has just the right mix of deep & tech infusions, while ‘What You Say’ provides a wonderful warm deep groove. Full support!”
Michael Fossati (Spirit Of House Web Zine) - Blissful melodies and deeper than deep truly remorseless rhythms make ‘Between us’ something truly special.”
Available now from Beatport and emusic