Austen van der Bleek

2020 was not a good year for obvious reasons. 2019 was the first year I made the leap into DJing full-time and, by the end of it, it felt like finally, maybe, I had figured things out. Then that all came full-stop with the pandemic. After starting off with 10 events, playing with the likes of Jimpster, Reggie Dokes, Miguel Migs, DJ Stingray, Jus-Ed… I now haven’t had a public gig since March. Yet, even with the parties on pause, the culture still continues and the music hasn’t been muted. There was no shortage of music to get us through these tough times. Below are some of the releases I would’ve been playing out, if that was still a thing. Maybe I should’ve been cute and done something like “The 20 Records of 2020,” but that would’ve been twice the work and, to be honest, sometimes it’s hard to muster up the energy these days. Hopefully 2021 will be different, or at least it’s looking like it could be later in the year. I was listening to a lot of downtempo due to the stay at home situation, but I still kept up on my dance music, buying records for when we can get back to business. Unfortunately, in a year of so much loss, we’ve also lost some good ones along the way and this chart is dedicated to them.

Missing you, Mike Huckaby, Michael Zucker, and Nick Moses.

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DJ CHART LIST

1. Scott Grooves featuring CJay Hill – Sum Good Music [Modified Suede Recordings]
2. Kalim Shabazz – Joy [Dailysession Records]
3. Fredfades & Jawn Rice featuring Javonntte & Byron the Aquarius – Luv Neva Fades [Mutual Intentions]
4. Jovonn featuring Cassio Ware – Turnin Me Out (Louie Vega Expansion NYC Mix) [Body ‘N Deep]
5. Ian Fink – Full (Aries Mix)
6. musclecars featuring Brandon Markell Holmes – Don’t Go [toucan sounds]
7. Steve Bug & youANDme featuring Black Soda – I Hear You (Dub) [Rotary Cocktail Recordings]
8. Nicholas Ryan Gant x Karzima – Gypsy Woman (Kaytronik Extended Remix) [R2 Records]
9. Cazz Ear featuring Ursula Rucker – Been Waiting (Mike Huckaby Deep Transportation Mix) [Tribe Records]
10. Michael Zucker – Choose Sides [Finale Sessions]

LISTEN & READ

Listening to Scott Grooves and Norm Talley close out Memorial Day Weekend in Detroit at Marble Bar in 2019 was one of the highlights of my year — yes, I realize I’m still reminiscing two years back, but sometimes it almost feels like this past year was lost. I know Mr. Grooves to be a prolific producer of deep Detroit sounds, but I had never had a sense of his DJing prior to this. Him and Talley together as TAG proved to be quite the contrast, with Norm Talley delivering tracks and Scott Grooves giving the gospel. So what is it about this record that makes it the one to kick things off? As the artist put it, “..it kinda speaks for itself.” Timeless deep house with funk appeal and soulful vocals from CJay Hill, it’s a fit for most occasions.

Before the same aforementioned Detroit trip, I had no sense of Dailysessions Records, but then I met Bradford James in the crowd at Moodymann’s Backyard BBQ and he handed me one of his releases on the label. When I later saw DJ Kemit, a familiar face out of Atlanta, pop up on a new release as a remixer, I checked it out. Discovering Kalim Shabazz’ music has definitely brought me joy. This is another record that does exactly what it says on the tin and, with joy sometimes being in short supply this year, I instantly gravitated to the message here. The organs and vocal chorus give it a Sunday gospel spirit. While I may be new to his music, Shabazz is certainly not new to the releasing, popping up on sporadic releases dating back to the early ’90s. Also released this year on the label, Jovonn’s (a favorite producer of mine) remix of Cedar Sound Worskhop featuring Tshaka Campbell (a spoken word artist I’m also fond of) is definitely worth a mention here too.

If you can’t tell by now, the annual trip to Detroit this year was greatly missed. I use it every year. as one of my major sources of inspiration. It’s where I first witnessed Javonntte’s finesse on the keys, at one of Kai Alcé’s Deep Detroit parties in 2016. In fact, Kai Alcé helped reintroduce the artist and propel him to his current popularity levels with a subsequent release on his NDATL label. “Luv Neva Fades” features his trademark vocal style over an elastic bassline and jazzy keys played by another upstart that took off from underneath Alcé’s wings in Atlanta, Byron the Aquarius. The lyrics uplift with another important message considering the pandemic’s intense isolation and heavy losses.

I feel like I should apologize for how much I love the ’90s sound. If there were house trading cards, I’d want Jovonn and Cassio Ware in my deck. While there’s a couple hot mixes diving in different directions to choose from on this remix package of “Turnin Me Out” — off Jovonn’s 2018 album Timeless, his first in almost a decade — Louie Vega definitely offers the most upbeat selection. It feels instantly familiar, continuing along the lines of the funk/house hybrid sweet spot he’s been hovering in since 2015 that culminated in his album Starring…XXVIII, which won him a Grammy nomination. This is a seductive ode to getting turned out at the club, an experience most of us have had and miss, so hopefully it doesn’t feel too trivial in its current absence.

This was actually one of my Bandcamp Fridays pickups, but it appears it’s gone from the site now. Anyway, Ian Fink is one of a few young Detroit talents maintaining the city’s bright legacy. The Aries Mix “Full” features a deep bassline, washed over with airy pads, lifted through lovely hand percussion, and all tightly rolled together by a marimba that transports it tonally into the territory of bright, tropical paradise. Maybe it speaks to me because I’m an Aries, but I don’t really follow the signs, so perhaps it’s more so Florida weather is beautiful year round and this captures its only season: sunshine. I always tend to gravitate towards sounds that reflect where I call home, which is the Sunshine State’s Sunshine City, after all.

In the same vein as Fink’s work above, musclecars’ “Don’t Go” takes a similar sonic approach, but transitions it from an open air lounge to the club thanks to the R&B vocal flair and lyrics of Brandon Markell Homes. Squealing keys and a horn introduced at points throughout the song bring in moments of musicality, breaking up an otherwise hypnotic groove. As such a strong outing, it’s hard to believe this was only musclecars’ debut. A lot of relationships have been tested throughout this pandemic and I guess this love song serves as a pep talk to hold on.

Steve Bug is probably the more familiar name for people here, but this record heavily reflects the dub house and techno inclinations of Rotary Cocktail Recordings label owner and fellow Berliner youANDme, even bringing along his frequent vocal collaborator, South Africa’s Black Soda, for the ride. It’s a fitting 50th release celebration for the imprint. I actually personally know Martin of youANDme after having written a bio for him some years ago. We also almost played a Serious Soul party together in 2017, but were thwarted by another common element of Florida’s weather: hurricanes. Back to the song, “I Hear You” captures the Detroit–Berlin connection perfectly and Black Soda’s sultry delivery is given just the right amount of spacial treatment to leave it echoing across the mind of listeners with encouraging lyrics that remind us to “let it go” and “turn the key.”

I’m really not usually a fan of most modern interpretations of classics, but Nicholas Ryan Gant’s cover of Crystal Water’s “Gypsy Woman” doesn’t even attempt to touch on the original’s upbeat piano house and pop crossover appeal, instead trading it in for a brooding reinterpretation. The single delivers a low-slung, downtempo R&B take that Karizma then lends his Baltimore bounce to in this driving club remix underlined by elements of tribal house and afro deep. Not going to lie, I miss banging something like this out at the club.

There’s no other way around it, Mike Huckaby was one of Detroit’s finest DJs, musical minds, and educators. You could see it in the wide reaching response to the news of his passing. He was certainly a favorite of mine and I had the pleasure of playing with him on a couple occasions, even considering him a friend. We lost Huckaby due to COVID-19 complications towards the start of the pandemic in the US, at the end of April. After learning he had a medical setback in March and initially expecting a full-recovery, it was a shock. This shaped my understanding of and outlook on the virus, bringing a very early sense of the tragedy and grief it could cause. Huckaby’s Deep Transportation Mix of “Been Waiting” was one of his last releases and, at least I believe, also him at his best. Ursula Rucker’s (another favorite of mine) vocal performance now feels extra haunting in retrospect and when she says “so much seems so wrong,” that is exactly how this pandemic and the loss of Huckaby has felt. Rest in peace, Huck.

In a state where so much of the true school Detroit, Chicago, and NYC sounds have been overlooked or lost, Michael Zucker and his Finale Sessions label was one of Florida’s only and most accomplished exports for these sounds. Zucker passed away after a long battle with cancer late into the year. Based out of Orlando, and not shy of it, he was a kind soul and had a huge influence on me, also serving as a major source of encouragement. I’m thankful for his music to always remember him by and that he was able to leave us with an album, Draw Closer. This is his magnum opus and clearly reflects him processing his terminal status and limited time left. “Choose Sides” is a moody, ethereal electro number that shows Zucker never lost or avoided his Florida rave roots, instead he developed and evolved them. Rest in peace, Mike.