Monte Hilleman - Winter Blues / Soul Music (Vino Recordings)

Monte Hilleman has waved the flag for soulful house music long before the 2003 launch of his Minneapolis-based label Vino Recordings. The label’s catalog of releases — including some of the earliest releases by Chuck Love — celebrates the deeper, funkier, and vocal-laced side of the house music genre. Monte’s latest is an uplifting double A-side single with meaning and message. “Winter Blues (MLK Day Edit)” features a snapping, groovy drum track, a sub-bass bounce, and vibrant pads guiding the track to the dancefloor. Over the top are the wise words of Martin Luther King, Jr., urging the listener towards hope and light in the face of hate and fear: “… the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” The flip side brings “Soul Music,” delving into heavy disco vibes with a cosmic touch. Cool rhythm patterns, a punchy bass, and swirling pads are accented with an infectious, effected vocal phrase.

With this release, Vino pays tribute to the themes of freedom of expression, social justice. and protest inherent in house music since its beginning. 100% of the proceeds from this single will benefit Du Nord Foundation. Du Nord Craft Spirits is a black-owned distillery in Minneapolis that was damaged following the murder of George Floyd. They rebuilt through community support, and now Du Nord Craft Spirits is returning the favor with this foundation, aiding other black and brown-owned businesses needing help.

Tyler Stadius (Deepsite) – “Good tracks here. Soul Music is my pick.”
Jaymz Nylon (Nylon Recordings) “You can’t go wrong with the presence of our ancestors.”
DJ P-REZ (Not So Fast Records) – “Dope release. Tracks like Winter Blues are so important these days, and need to be played.”
Griffo (Freak Da Funk show) – “Soul Music is my fave here. Big and bouncy house music!”
Mike Solus (Housemasters Radio) – “I dig this. Deeeeep!”
Deepshizzol (MyHouse YourHouse Radio) – “Soul Music is very different. Proper rush material.”
DJ Jazzy L (Jazzy Lounge Radio) – “The thunderous beat combined with the message has me hooked.”
Simon Kirk (Stag Beetle Radio Show) – “Such a great feel on Winter Blues. Full support.”
Hober Mallow (Mighty Reel) – “Soul Music is superb. Lovely and infectious stuff. I’ll fit it in to the radio show here.”
Richard Hardcastle (All Out War Radio Show) – “Quality deepness with a message. Great stuff!”

Available Now From: Traxsource, And Beatport.

Monte Hilleman - Father's Day Pride (Vino Recordings)

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.

Chuck Love feat. Demonica Flye - The Voice (Vino Recordings) →

Minneapolis house music yogis Vino Recordings are pleased to announce the relaunch of the seminal indie house label founded in 2003. ‘Nordeast’ Minneapolis soul brother Chuck Love’s long lost feel good single “The Voice” leads the charge in a string of 2012 Vino Recordings releases. The track showcases Minneapolis house diva Demonica Flye and her plea for Chuck to save the state of house music by bringing the soul back.

The call and response vocal demands inspiration on the dance floor. The remixes from Jevne (Onethirty Recordings), Bryan Gerrard (Celebrity Records) and Vino label boss Monte Hilleman take the track in four different directions, from Jevne’s deep tech, to Gerrard’s dubbed out mix, to Hilleman’s gritty and uplifting main room-roller.

Known for his signature “Live DJ/Video” set, Chuck Love pulls triple duty as the DJ, a vocalist and a multi-instrumentalist. The result: a ridiculous mix with some slamming, ‘on-the-fly-produced’ tracks showcased within the set. In 2010, Chuck launched his Love Network label and teamed up with Colette for the first release: “UR Everything” (with remixes by Santiago & Bushido). You can also find Chuck’s releases on the likes of OM Records, Great Lakes Audio, Shifted Music, Salted, and Tango.

Vino label boss Monte Hilleman scouted Demonica Flye at a local jazz club in 2003. A life-long soul, R&B and jazz singer with Romanian, Irish, Native American, and African-Amercian roots, Flye is the lyricist of many compositions as well as a singer and disc jockey. Demonica recorded an album in 1991 called Deception and is also former lead vocalist of Backbeat Jam Factory and sub-vocalist with The R Factor. Of interest to house heads, she recorded several compositions with Farley Jack Master Funk and continues the proud house tradition with “The Voice.”

Ashley Beedle - “The original mix does the trick … One for those weekends. Big support!”
Marques Wyatt (Vanguard / Deep L.A.) - “I’m diggin’ this groove.”
Robert Owens - “The original mix of ‘The Voice' is a great track. Love it!”
Joey Silvero (Distant People / Seamless) - “Yeah! I like this sound … Loads of energy.”
Gordon Murray (Billboard Magazine) - “Smooth soulful House.”
Cherokee (Cherry Global Radio Show / KISS FM Australia) - “Supreme! All mixes work & I’m really diggin’ ‘Bryan Gerrard’s Remix’.”
Stefan Popovic (DiscoTone Radio Show / WTC House Radio) - “Some nice skills displayed here … Jevne’s version takes me back in time, that’s for sure.”
Nick Holder (DNH Records / Treehouse) - “Very nice package! The ‘Jevne Remix' stands out to me.”
DJ Benjamin (Marivent Music Intrenational / Pressure Radio) - “Fantastic release with great remixes in the pack!”

Available now from Juno