Minneapolis-based Vino Recordings present another superb, smooth, and funky house music single, this time courtesy of label don Monte Hilleman. “Father’s Day Pride” was written on Father’s Day 2011 and carries the sounds and emotions emanating from a proud papa. Monte recruited the incredibly talented keyboard skills of Mr. Brian Nielsen and the sax chops of longtime Minneapolis jazz wizard Walter Chancellor, Jr. to embellish his inspiration. The original Club Mix features a lovely dose of piano, synth leads, and saxophone over a soulful house rhythm and deep, bumping bass. The Dub Mix takes things in a spacier direction with added percussion, and filtered lead line, and elements of the original’s instrumentation dubbed out for maximum electric bliss. Prime after hours fare.
A quintet of remixers, all hailing from Minneapolis, also get behind “Father’s Day Pride” with a varied and high quality set of reinterpretations. First up is the incomparable Chuck Love who delivers a mix that, as he says, “sits where the drinks get expensive.” Chuck sets snatches of the original’s instrumentation over a potent groove and a warm low end. Some jazzier breakdowns spice things up, but the track never strays from its soulful foundation. This is followed by the duo of Havens + Hart (Stranjjur, Sleazy Deep) who provide a stripped down version with a looser tempo and a bit of a nu-disco feel. An added vocal line enhances the deep, melancholy vibe that should mesh perfectly with late night affairs. Next up is Jason Heinrichs (Aphrodisio, Revival) who takes the track’s gentle instrumentation and counters it with a tough Chicago-influenced beats and a bouncing bass line. The result is a solid prime-time stomper. The fourth remix of the pack comes from Overnight Sensations, the new project from Minneapolis DJ Alex Jarvis. A throbbing, drum-heavy mix with building, deep flourishes, the Overnight Sensations mix will sound big and bold coming out of night club speakers. Last up is Jason Heinrichs again, this time in collaboration with producer Leon Lilke as Snagglepuss to offer a change of pace to “Father’s Day Pride.” This mix takes on a progressive, electro-influenced vibe with Italo elements and dramatic breakdowns while deftly maintaining some of the instrumentation and melodies from the original. WIth all of this, “Father Day’s Pride” reveals a hefty package, with styles and sounds that should find a fan in dance music DJs of all stripes.
CJ Mackintosh - “Monte’s Club Mix is working!”
Jask - “Monte’s Dub and Havens+Hart mixes are my faves of the bunch. Nice work!”
Abicah Soul - “Proper funky house tune for the floor. Chuck Love’s remix is tops.”
Marques Wyatt - “Tight!”
Vincent Kwok - “I’m really feeling the Havens + Hart mix. Funky bass line!”
Bryan Jones (Control Recordings) - “Chuck Love kills it.”
Doc Link - “Monte’s Club Mix is on fire!”
Joey Silvero (Distant People) - “I love the live feel to this. The sax is fantastic, the bass just keeps pushing. Serious!”
Swift (DJN Project) - “Monte’s a f**ken beast. That’s a dope track, dude.”
Jamie Topham (CDPool) - “Quality instrumental release with something for everyone in the house arena. On a personal level it’s Chuck Love’s version that does me proud.”
Groove Assassin - “Great stuff from Monte! Loving his club mix … dope package!”
Alex Dimitri South Soul - “Lovely stuff. Support!”
Christos Kedras (Kapa Music) - “Nice package with lots of variety. I’m feeling the Overnight Sensations mix the most, liking the groove.”
DJ Craig C (Pound Boys) - “A couple of wicked mixes here via Havens and Hart and Snagglepuss!”
Spiritual Blessings (Gotta Keep Faith Records) - “Very nice. The piano and Moog are madly fine in Monte’s Club mix. Other highlights are Heinrich’s Blissed Out Dub, very deep bass indeed, and the Overnight Sensations Deep Groove Mix.”
Michael Fossati (Spirit Of House) - “A phenomenal slice of jazz-house guaranteed to make you yearn for more … this is sheer musical bliss.”
Stefan Popovic (DiscoTone Radio Show) - “This is amazing! Jazz in the house baby - just what we need.”
Additional support from Mousse T., Robert Owens, Nick Holder, DJ EMan, Groove Junkies, Booker T. (Kings Of Soul), Daz-I-Kue, DJ Pope, Fabio Tosti, and Edground.
Available now from Juno Download and Beatport.