After the stomper that was the ‘Guardian of Forever’ EP, Detroit legend Rick Wade returns to bastion of lofi house ‘Shall Not Fade’ with another four sweet and soulful deep house cuts on his new ‘Passion Play’ Ep.
B1’s Inner Most, brings the darkness of 6am club workouts straight to your ears. Trippy 909s and swelling string pads evolve into beautiful rhodes chords layered over a smooth baseline. Wade comes in with a lovely bit of piano and string work that lifts the track into the realms of the deepest ecstasy. The track is dripping with moody atmosphere and that signature Detroit sound.
[soundcloud url=”https://soundcloud.com/boltingbits/premiere-rick-wade-inner-most” /]The rest of the EP also captures that classic Detroit sound with A1’s title track ‘Passion Play’ bringing an uplifting chord run across some bumping drums and deft vocal work. A2 feels like the darker side of the title track, with ‘Oh Yeah’ using similar vocal, drum and harmonic elements to craft a more introspective and melancholic atmosphere.
B2’s Zero Ningen is the EP biggest departure, bringing disco congas and a chopped Japanese vocal to create a psychedelic house number, with a gentle lo-fi piano melody holding the track down. If J Dilla made house instead of Hip Hop, lived in Japan, and enjoyed the recreational use of assorted hallucinogens, maybe he’d make something that sounds a little like this.
Another great EP from the masterful Rick Wade, proving once again why Shall Not Fade is one of the strongest labels in circulation. The Passion Play EP is out digitally and on Wax July 6th.
Paul
