With the ‘The Duke of Detroit’ EP, Danzón Records presents something of a hidden gem among Motor City house producers – Rick Wade.
Born in West Michigan, Rick has released a broad scope of 4/4 material on over 20 labels worldwide, but it’s perhaps the deep and soulful sound for which he’s best known. ‘The Duke of Detroit’ EP is very much a reflection of this, bearing his trademark stamp across an evolving journey of classic house grooves. The EP is said to “tap into the very essence of house music,” something that Wade has been doing successfully for two decades.
Featuring a whopping 10 tracks, many would argue that the EP is in fact an LP, however, more than half the release is dedicated to remixes, with a total of six reinterpretations by a collection of producers whom Wade and Danzón Records consider to be some of the finest on the scene right now. These include Black Ride, Mike Maraus, Jorge Cerna, LuRob, Gonzo-Gonzo and Los Flaminhoes.
Throughout his four original productions, Wade fuses house of various roots with the sounds of nu disco, funk and bossa nova. ‘Say to Myself’ and ‘Worldwide Disco’ are left untouched, appearing purely as Wade conceived them, while ‘Hey Boy’ and ‘The League’ have each been reworked three times. Black Ride, Mike Maraus, Jorge Cerna all take on ‘Hey Boy’, while LuRob, Gonzo-Gonzo and Los Flaminhoes put their personal touches to ‘The League’.
The first of the unremixed originals is ‘Say to Myself’, which brings harmonious synth lines offset with a pleasingly bewildering set of percussion that very quickly carries you off into its hypnotic groove. This is mixed with a sensual vocal line for an embracing journey into emotional deep house.
Rhythmic basslines and strummed guitar chords are the foundation of ‘Worldwide Disco’, along with a combination of classic house beats and hints of disco, making it a very distinctive record. The interaction of a sustained vocal and groovy hi-hat stab bring an extra element of excitement that might just take a dancefloor to pieces.
Packed full of solid house grooves, subtle saxophone melodies and a soulful vocal snippet, ‘Hey Boy’ gives us the full Rick Wade experience right from the start. Black Ride’s remix adds in a subtle garage vibe, while Mike Maraus opts for a more laid-back deep house sound. Jorge Cerna ups the tempo but maintains the key elements of the original.
‘The League’ brings back the disco tones, blended with a little bossa nova and finished with a robust bassline. LuRob’s version retains the melodies of Wade’s original, but slows things down a touch and lets the bassline rule over the percussion. Gonzo-Gonzo adds a few chopped and processed vocal stabs for a contemporary feel, and Los Flaminhoes rework the track completely, delivering tough percussion and more heavily effected vocals.
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