New Records: Everyday House Music

It’s been a damn good year for records so far; the fact that I keep posting up these epic reviews columns every couple of weeks is testimony to that. Insanity. Let’s get this one started!

Back when I visited Chicago in the spring, the best discovery I made was Beautiful Granville Records. Specifically, I picked up the two FLO Crew records and the pick of the bunch, Tevo Howard’s “Without Me”. That shit totally blew me away. I became something of an evangelist for that record, going on and on about to to anyone who would listen (including a LATE review of it here back in June) and banging it out in my sets. Since then, he has had two releases that were just not around in the US (quite irritatingly, I might add). I finally got to pick them up, along with the first BGR record that was not around in Chicago, and they are all magnificent.

Taking them chronologically, the Poppa Howard record was the very first release on BGR and it features Tevo Howard’s father Rick Howard on vocals and songwriting. This is a perfect example of less being more, with the minimal electronics setting the mood perfectly for the blues inflected vocal and melancholic piano line of “About Fourteen”. “Without Your Love” uses a similar template, and really harkens back to the days of early Chicago house music in the process. It seems as though there is another one out right now by Poppa Howard, I’m going to have to hunt that one down as well!

“Everyday House Music” dropped over the summer, and the samples had me salivating. Now that I have the record in hand, it was well worth the wait. It’s hard to pick a track to play on here, because all of them are awesome. Overall, this is definitely Tevo Howard’s best effort. Instead of trying to describe the cuts, I’m just going to say that you should go out and buy this shit immediately. If you like the stuff we cover here at ISM, this will be one of your records of the year.

This fall, “Passion Sound” dropped and it might be the best single cut Tevo has put out so far. It’s amazing how expressive drum machines, synths, and a piano can sound in the hands of someone who know what they are doing. Along with the release of “Crazy Love” on the Italian label Rebirth, Tevo is proving that he can bang out deep instrumental dance music with the best of them from any era. BUY ON SIGHT.

The newest Black Jazz Consortium record “Deep Things” is supposed to be a precursor to a new album of the same name. If these tracks are indicative of it’s quality, that will be an essential record. “Build It” is a deep cut, but with a tweaked out synth that gives it a lot of energy. “Believe” is the other joint on here, building from a simple synth bass into an epic dreamy late night cut.

My man Shawn Rudiman broke me off with his newest release the other night, a 12″ on Pacou’s Cache Records. Shawn has been deepening his sound, utilizing his analog delays and reverbs (like on the recent Technoir joint he did that I haven’t seen talked about much… also, Arne Weinberg did one for them at the same time!) on “Go Forward – Come Back”. “Maybe Someday” is a beautiful melancholic and bleepy slice of future funk, but for me this record is all about “No Limits”. Sounding a bit like a less spazzed out Derrick May track due to the strings, this is a real melodic techno anthem that I look forward to hearing at DEMF ’10.

Another new Balance Alliance is out now, this one is by a cat called Jeremiah with Vusa Mkhaya on vocals. I’m not sure what language the words are in, but “Khawuleza” features a deep dubbed out techno track that allows the vocals to do most of the melodic work. Simple and beautiful. “Mir Ru (Jeremiah Classic Mix)” does just what it says, using disco samples to bring a little of that classic Prescription/Balance sound to the table. Speaking of which, I don’t usually fuck with reissues, but when one of the best deep house EPs I’ve ever heard that also happens to be close to impossible to find gets it, I roll with that. I am of course talking about the Foot Therapy EP, originally on Prescription but now on P&D. Essential deep shit!

It’s already been hyped to death, so I’m not gonna spend much time on it but the Theo Parrish remix of LCD Soundsystem is typically badass. The thing I don’t get, though, is why it is the B side…. to the obviously wildly inferior Pilooski mix?! Regardless, Theo’s mix has the goods to back up the hype.

I also have a review of the Big Strick record on Fxhe up on Resident Advisor. Keep an eye out for my new interview with Shake, which will be going up on RA soonish as well.