CDs OF THE WEEK: Deeper Sound of Craig de Sousa: The French Affair
Record label USM just keeps ’em coming to please South Africa’s dance aficionados, and several recent USM releases do not disappoint. A highlight among them is Deeper Sound of Craig de Sousa: The French Affair, the Cape Town DJ’s second Deeper Sound release. Recorded live, it’s deep house on the go, stretched to its utmost funky limits, from the bass reverberations of opener Da Phono of Double Dipped to DJ T’s Freemind, which sounds like a deliciously dippy dance take on a Seventies TV cop show theme. There is even organ music on Freaks’ The Creeps (You’re Giving Me).
Then, keeping it stylish and certainly very sexy is Queen of Spades, the second in USM’s King of Compilations series looking back at serious house music that shaped this country’s dance floors since the late Nineties. This edition, mixed by Iggy Smallz, focuses on tracks with male vocals, from Shazz’s R&B Inner Side to Alex Gopher’s trip-hop-house The Child (Kenny Dope Main Mix) and favourites including Jon Cutler’s It’s Yours, which burned a path across many a dance floor.
When you’re looking to up the tempo, slide Decadent Sound of Morgan into the player. Though the first two albums mentioned here frankly seem more “decadent” with their sexy vibe, local man Morgan plunges headlong into the harder side of progressive trance on 17 tracks. Also pay attention to Deeper Sound of Lady Lea: Sweet Sessions, another worthy foray into funky deep house, including her own Your Energy.
Lastly, two other releases — not from USM — are worth a mention. Subliminal Summer SA (Gallo) is mixed by Eric Morillo: funky house on two CDs, with especially the second an irresistible barrage of beats (the first has a few less exciting stretches). And then Paul van Dyk fans should get The Remixes 94-04 (Sheer) — basically a best-of album comprising craftily remixed versions, including an electrifying Way Out West take on his all-time favourite For an Angel.