Various Artists
Vibes New and Rare Music
Rush Hour
9/26/11
Various Artist compilations these days seem to misunderstand the purpose of this type of release. While there may be many creative minds to form one piece of music, a congruent direction is often lost in the final translation. There's always an exception to the typical, and Rick Wilhite's aptly named
Vibes New and Rare Music seems to nail that point with every release. An ongoing series now,
Vibes is named after the Godson's record store in Detroit. With a little help from his friends, the shop comes breathes life through auditory transmissions.
With three varied tempo tracks, the four musicians behind this installment of
Vibes create dance tracks for all situations. That is, of course, if you plan on keeping your set full of classic Detroit house. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but don't expect any genre-defying sounds in this one. Is that really what's important in 2011, though? As house-rhythm music surpasses its quarter-century life, producers are experimenting with just about everything these days. But deep house remains a consistent mindset among enthusiasts
The release opens with Marc King's “Can U Feel It,” a playful tune with powerful vocals yet warming melodies. TJ and Raybone's “Gone” slows everything down a bit, hinting at a memory when everything made a bit more sense, musically speaking. It's easy to forget what makes a great house track, as so many emulators are taking to the sound like it's a sport. Even with three exceptionally produced tracks, “Gone” still rings in my mind when the music stops.
But nothing here is really new, as we've seen each of these songs released with other titles. That doesn't change the overall appeal of these three tracks as they appear together, and the EP accurately lives up to the history of the record store.
Get the release at
Beatport now.
