Miami-man Jesse Perez is ready to roll out ‘gangster’ house EP ‘That’s Real Muthafuckin’ Talk’ Next month featuring DJ Sneak and Paolo Rocco & Jay London. The DJ/Producer who has previous releases on labels like Off Recordings and – thanks to a chance meeting with Lee Foss – Hot Creations presents a four track release featuring three remixes of the 2011 original of the same name.
Those familiar with acts like 2 Live Crew and their ‘ass-slappin”, booty-poppin’, raw rap and booty bass sound will appreciate the Miami influence – not just in the bump ‘n grind, 808 beats and fx but also the explicit nature of the samples used. Aside from, or perhaps in spite of the hyper-sexual content of that late ’80s, early ’90s sound, the success of Miami bass and rap were based on cut and thrust instrumentals, throwing out big beats, massive uptempo basslines and barefaced energy. What Perez and the I’m a House Gangster movement have managed here is a true homage to that sound. Miami of course has always been a big house city and has a sound as distinctive as more prominent US sister-cities like Detroit, Chicago and New York/New Jersey.
Despite not being coming in as the first track, in a lot of ways the ‘Original 2011’ mix is the jump off point for the EP and gives us the opportunity to chart a phase in the evolution of Miami house when we play it alongside Perez’s latest ‘Bump n Grind’ mix, which is the first offering on the EP. As a city that’s geographically closer to Havana, Cuba than it is to the nearest neighbouring US state, it’s no surprise that this is reflected culturally. Anyone who’s seen ‘Scarface’ will know of the connection between Miami and the Caribbean republic, not to mention the city’s place as gateway to the West Indies and so as you might expect, there is a definite Latin feel to the 2011 original. Mix that in with the Miami brand essentials we discussed earlier and what we have is a body jackin’, tech house track with a rampant attitude.
Now let’s take it back to the top, back to the future and take a look at track 1, the Bump n Grind mix. The swinging hats and pitched-up fx alongside vocal licks and the rolling bassline means that much of the vibe from the 2011 original remains in spirit but this track has less of that Latin influence. The added element is a round lead which is a nod to the deeper direction that house has taken in the last two years. Hold your hats on tight, the drop on this one is a hard-hitting, rolling bass and it’s heavy.
Track 2 is DJ Sneak’s ‘Real House Gangster’ mix and Sneak brings his unmistakable Chicago style to the table, keeping the Miami bass but with more tempo in a real four-to-the-floor anthem. The Puerto Rico-born DJ/producer has an obvious Latin influence in his work yet this is undoubtedly one of the godfathers of the second wave of the Chicago house sound and it shows.
Last up for mention is the third of the four tracks (stay with us) and is delivered by Canadian duo Paolo Rocco and Jay London. Arguably the best track on the release for its no-nonsense, heads down tech house approach, this track stays true to neither the Miami bass sound nor the Latin feel of the original. This is both its strength and its weakness but nonetheless it ensures the EP has a balance about it which is what makes it so damn appealing.
That’s Real Muthafuckin’ Talk is packed full of booty-slammin’, body rockin’ tech house. The seriousness of the sound is offset by the slight, tongue-in-cheek nature of the artist and the vocal sample used, which is surely used more as a satirical instrument of sound than a snippet of any actual notion of ‘real talk’. The EP touches down on the 3rd of February on Beatport then goes out on general release on the 17th through the I’m a House Gangster imprint.
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