DJ Lora – ‘Shine On Me’

South African DJ Lora is perhaps atypical in the world of house music. According to the DJ, she doesn’t drink, she doesn’t take drugs and she’s never been a fan of jamming on a packed dancefloor.

To most people that will probably sound quite odd for someone in the business, it took us by surprise. Of course not everyone who enjoys house music drinks, takes drugs or skanks out and of course those lifestyle choices are compatible with house because house is ‘our house’ whoever we are. But I would say that it’s unusual, just slightly. Nevertheless she was drawn to the DJ booth, found herself spinning wheels and making beats and hasn’t looked back since, dropping releases on labels like Strictly Rhythm and now Toolroom Records.

For recording artists deep house can be a minefield these days, even if it can be lucrative. Like all music it becomes a victim of its own success. Sounds are brought to the mainstream and made popular commercially because of their aesthetic quality rather than their ‘soul’ and often tend to turn noses up from heartbroken, underground enthusiasts. While tracks like Dennis Ferrer’s remix of ‘Underground’ by Nick Curly and Azari and III’s ‘Reckless with Your Love’ have added colour and vibrancy to this new incarnation of deep house, they have also diluted to an extent, what made deep house a truly underground sound. So in that respect it is difficult to create head-shaking house without it sounding off-the-shelf.

I always say there should be no snobbery attached to music and especially not house music, which for decades has offered those most alienated by the mainstream a place to play and share and connect. Too-cool-for-school hipsters are just as extreme and annoying as banal band-wagon wankers. So amongst the bloated ranks of deep house releases, is it possible to make music that pleases both sides just enough yet not too much?

Shine On Me manages to pull off a difficult move on the crest of the current wave that sounds neither soulless or cheesy but will undoubtedly receive crossover support and success. It’s a deep take on an old mainstream classic – Praise Cats’ ‘Shined One Me’ – hitting Beatport today (16/12/13) on the mega-renowned Toolroom Records.

Shine On Me is a lively, rolling production with hypnotic vocal cuts and a driving, phantasmal bassline. Complete with a garagey drop sandwiched between that quintessential 2013 deep house vibe it slots seamlessly into the soundscape that’s dominated the past 12 months, teetering precariously on the tip of the underground. Without being overly remarkable, it’s a steady side-to-sider with a commanding presence; nothing particularly radical but the track still has plenty to offer. With all the menace of Catz ‘n Dogz’ ‘Hush’ despite perhaps lacking a little of the bite, Toolroom’s last release of 2013 means 2014 kick off with more of the same. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing depends on which side of the fence you sit on but we took it on face value and we think it’s a keeper!