Ahead of the release of House Masters: Osunlade, we asked the man himself to pick out 10 of his favourite tracks from the compilation and tell us a little more about them. Read on for a personal insight into some of house music's most seminal moments.
Erro - Don't Change
This song is definitely top of my list in terms of vocal house songs. There are times when you are creating that you just know that the outcome will be great...this is point and case. From the live orchestra to the syncopated drum rhythm, my idea was to create a song that would stand out and when Eric Roberson completed the vocal arrangement, it was a no brainer. A feel good song that has made its way into the bracket of classic soul.
KB - El Musica
During production on KB's album in South Africa the process wasn't as smooth as I’d hoped, and with a few songs in the works, I felt we were still missing a hit song. This one came outta the sky and was actually not meant for this project. I woke up one morning and started with this Brazilian idea of the guitar, then the infectious horn hit me and the rest just came about. The title is actually incorrect in spanish and should be La Musica, however in my thinking iIwanted to break the rules a bit…one of my favourite songs to play out!
Osunlade - Cantos a Ochun et Oya
By far the most recognized song from my catalogue, and one that is a no brainer when it comes to my gigs…I simply must play this every time. The party starts when this song is played for me, everything prior is a build up…it’s a traditional Yoruba song dedicated to Ochun (the river) and Oya (the wind)…the two most prominent energies in my life. The groove and latin feel combined with the African beat make this a dance floor winner for me, the response is always a welcoming one…to hear crowds sing the call makes me proud to have this one under my belt.
Osunlade feat. Nadirah Shakoor - Pride
This song is dear to me for several reasons. Firstly it’s with one of my closest friends and secondly, we managed to combine organic, tribal and electronic elements in what I think was a very balanced way. The drums are in your face with the bongos, but the stab is some fabricated chord from an old analog Roland keyboard. When making sounds this original, I just feel good about the outcome. Nadirah brings a stellar performance and message of loving and empowering yourself without it being preachy…it’s now one of the anthems for gay pride in several cities in America and the new versions and remixes take it to another zone..love love love this song!
House Masters - Osunlade is out 11th October - click to listen & pre-order
Osunlade - Momma's Groove
Now this song is probably the most internal in terms of story. I usually never write about myself in the sense of being open, but with this one my idea was to pay homage to my mom, and to create something that was deep yet told the story of where some of my musical influences came from, not only the sound of it but the situations I encountered in growing up. My parents were party type people, usually at home. There would be weekend parties of close friends, lots of soul music, dancing, drinks and food…during the ages from 7-11 this was a major influence on me. I learned about community and the joys of life. When you see happy people rejoice over music and each other, it stays with you forever.
Ben Westbeech - So Good Today (Yoruba Soul Mix)
When I first got the call to do this remix, I had no idea of Ben and honestly wasn't floored by the song either. What I did like though was his voice and although the song itself was a bit pop, I felt I could do something nice with it. Usually I don't listen to a song in its entirety when remixing it as I don’t want to have the idea of what it sounds like, so I’ll only request the vocals. My idea for this was to create a new old school sound, first with the bass…kinda metallic yet round and then the drums, very compressed and a shaker-like hi-hat instead of the basic open hi-hat rhythm usually used in older dance music. This definitely proved to be one of the better choices of songs to remix as its release deemed it being played by all the major players and in every town I visited.
Jazztronik - Dentro Mi Alma (Yoruba Soul Mix)
Now this was another one that had that "oh this is the one" feeling. I’d just moved to Santorini and was so inspired by the energy. I was actually living in a hotel waiting to move into my home; sometimes hotels can be good to create and sometimes it can be stifling. With Dentro, I fell in love with the vocal after the first listen. The song was about 90 bpm, so the challenge was to make something faster without losing the appeal of the song at its original tempo. Once I had the beat sorted, the rest just kinda fell into place and this is by far my favourite remix. Again when playing out, it just brings smiles to people face and seems to warm their hearts, which is what I always hope my music does for people.
Soul Central - Time After Time (Yoruba Soul Mix)
Great song, love the original and the approach I took was to make something a bit harder, in beat theory at least. This was during the period when the deeper house music was in transition to more techno influenced stabs. With just about all of the music I create, its about the song first and foremost, but this was an exception as it was definitely about the beat and the club appeal.
Tortured Soul - I Might Do Something Wrong (Yoruba Main Mix)
This song catapulted me into another realm in terms of the house music scene. I’d already gained a following with Yoruba Records, but had not done many remixes at the time and this was important to me as it was one of Central Park’s first releases. My view when it comes to labels, especially a new one is to deliver the goods and set a standard. When I first heard this, I was pleased with the Stevie Esk vibe of the writing, and knew it would be a good marriage to my sound. I think the kicker is the fact that like most of my music, there's no bassline per say, rather the drums act as the bass and the bass in fact plays the role of the chords with its harmonics.This gave the song a deeper sound and to this day is a floor killer and crowd pleaser.
Marie St James - Closer I Get (Club Mix)
This, the third release on my label, was introduced to the new house scene when Joe Clausell, Francois K and Danny Krivit started playing it at their Body & Soul party as well as licensing it for their first compilation. It changed the view of the label and helped build its initial audience. Like most of my productions, this was about the song…and nothing more.
House Masters - Osunlade is out 11th October - click to listen & pre-order
