ROBERT OWENS Vinyl & CDs

Review: Remixes of Atjazz's 'Love Someone' on Mantis by Sonar Kollektiv's Slope.

Review: Blue Mondays are a Mantua based project of Alex Ferrazzi and Keemani with singer Francesco Sperotto aka Kaysand (who got his start with deep house band Grammophono), on another fine EP for their eponymous imprint. First up is the deep down and dirty electro house of "Stop" featuring gritty synth arpeggios, dusty drums and sleazy vocals. The legendary Robert Owens should need no introduction, as do legendary British duo Justin Harris & Luke Solomon aka Freaks; whose brilliant "Right Now" appears in the form of a "Blue Mondays Tfbm mix" while the legendary Swayzak's version of "Stop" is an epic hypnotic techno journey over its full 13 minutes duration.

Review: Coldcut return with the stand-out single from their critically-acclaimed album, "Sound Mirrors". The pioneering duo take Joe South's classic 70s hit "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" and re-work it in the tradition which started with their own "Autumn Leaves" and incorporates Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" amongst others. And, as usual, Coldcut know how to pick a collaborator. Robert Owens should need no introduction. One of the true legends of house music, his career as a musical innovator (as well as the possessor of an all-time great voice) runs from pioneer days as one half of Fingers Inc in Chicago in the 80s right up to collaborations with Photek and London Elektricity, via any number of classic tunes including "Tears", "I'll Be Your Friend" and "Ordinary Son". The version of the tune included on the single ties the epic nature of Coldcut's production to a skipping, swinging house rhythm and the kind of anthemic build that leaves you exhausted. It's a truly beautiful piece of music, the contrast between the delicacy of Owens' voice and the weight of the orchestration perfectly realised. And that's before you've even reached the mixes. Tiga takes the original, strips out the music and replaces it with technoid pulses and a harder dancefloor rhythm, with the sweetness of Owens' voice cutting through the intensity. Henrik Schwarz (of Berlin-based Sonar Kollektiv) builds the original into a melancholy, jazzy number which still sets the foot tapping. Tom Belton goes straight for the disco-funk hands-in-the-air jugular, before Timo Garcia hardens up the kick for a full-on club odyssey.

Review: Coldcut return with the stand-out single from their critically-acclaimed album, "Sound Mirrors". The pioneering duo take Joe South's classic 70s hit "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" and re-work it in the tradition which started with their own "Autumn Leaves" and incorporates Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" amongst others. And, as usual, Coldcut know how to pick a collaborator. Robert Owens should need no introduction. One of the true legends of house music, his career as a musical innovator (as well as the possessor of an all-time great voice) runs from pioneer days as one half of Fingers Inc in Chicago in the 80s right up to collaborations with Photek and London Elektricity, via any number of classic tunes including "Tears", "I'll Be Your Friend" and "Ordinary Son". The version of the tune included on the single ties the epic nature of Coldcut's production to a skipping, swinging house rhythm and the kind of anthemic build that leaves you exhausted. It's a truly beautiful piece of music, the contrast between the delicacy of Owens' voice and the weight of the orchestration perfectly realised. And that's before you've even reached the mixes. Tiga takes the original, strips out the music and replaces it with technoid pulses and a harder dancefloor rhythm, with the sweetness of Owens' voice cutting through the intensity. Henrik Schwarz (of Berlin-based Sonar Kollektiv) builds the original into a melancholy, jazzy number which still sets the foot tapping. Tom Belton goes straight for the disco-funk hands-in-the-air jugular, before Timo Garcia hardens up the kick for a full-on club odyssey.

Review: Coldcut return with the stand-out single from their critically-acclaimed album, "Sound Mirrors". The pioneering duo take Joe South's classic 70s hit "Walk A Mile In My Shoes" and re-work it in the tradition which started with their own "Autumn Leaves" and incorporates Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" amongst others. And, as usual, Coldcut know how to pick a collaborator. Robert Owens should need no introduction. One of the true legends of house music, his career as a musical innovator (as well as the possessor of an all-time great voice) runs from pioneer days as one half of Fingers Inc in Chicago in the 80s right up to collaborations with Photek and London Elektricity, via any number of classic tunes including "Tears", "I'll Be Your Friend" and "Ordinary Son". The version of the tune included on the single ties the epic nature of Coldcut's production to a skipping, swinging house rhythm and the kind of anthemic build that leaves you exhausted. It's a truly beautiful piece of music, the contrast between the delicacy of Owens' voice and the weight of the orchestration perfectly realised. And that's before you've even reached the mixes. Tiga takes the original, strips out the music and replaces it with technoid pulses and a harder dancefloor rhythm, with the sweetness of Owens' voice cutting through the intensity. Henrik Schwarz (of Berlin-based Sonar Kollektiv) builds the original into a melancholy, jazzy number which still sets the foot tapping. Tom Belton goes straight for the disco-funk hands-in-the-air jugular, before Timo Garcia hardens up the kick for a full-on club odyssey.

Review: Ugly Music head honcho, DJ Harvey disciple and all round UK disco don Felix Dickinson is back, this time on Bristol institution Futureboogie. He teams up with the even more legendary Robert Owens on this EP, so hold on to your hats! "A Day's Reality (classic mix)" is already a house anthem: Owens soaring and emotional vocals over a bumping bassline, uplifting keys and the catchiest bleep melody this side of "Baby Wants To Ride". Hang on, isn't that what Justin Vandervolgen actually samples on his remix up next? Not quite, but it's damn close and sounds damn great at that. On the flip is "A Day's Reality (Dedication mix) which is in the more soulful disco funk vein and it's totally sublime, just wait for that strings section and the backing vocals; just brilliant!

Review: "I'm Strong" is a classic house track by Larry Heard, Mr Fingers and Robert Owens! A one of a kind track with a totally unique groove and a bassline not coming from this world. The DX sound that makes the track so powerful sounds like some kind of mutant machine that is going wild and the sublime combination with the Robert Owens vocals makes this a highlight in the history of house music!

Review: Fred Everything's profile may not be as high as it once was, but he continues to serve up high quality treats - as this surprise collaboration with legendary vocalist Robert Owens proves. The latter is in fine form on the EP-opening 'Classic Mix', a warming, musically detailed chunk of vocal deep house positivity that sounds like it was partially inspired by Dubtribe Soundsystem classic 'Do It Now'. Fred Everything also provides two 'BDTW' mixes on the flip: the fluttering synths sounds and vintage Chicago house grooves of the 'Deep Mix', and a more stripped-back 'Vox Dub'. Best of all though is Martin 'Atjazz' Iveson's rework, which recalls the fluid synth sounds, jazzy flutes and intricate percussion programming that marked out his early 2000s work on Mantis Recordings.

Review: "Compost Black Label #29" is a killer house anthem with vocals from the Chicago legend Robert Owens coming from Dutch production duo TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos. This bass heavy tune is taking dancefloors by storm.

Review: Strange Paradise, the enduringly rewarding LP from Orgue Electronique opened in notable fashion with "Our House" a track dominated by one of house music's most distinct voices n Robert Owens. It makes sense then for Creme to extract further joy from "Our House" with this clutch of expertly chosen remixes. The names Neville Watson and KiNK don't appear side by side as much as they did in that prolific 2010 period, but the Anglo-Bulgarian studio partnership is as potent as ever on this slab of wax. Wisely leaving Owen's vocal unfettered, the duo set about presenting a pulsating, throbbing introduction beneath that explodes into glorious melodic colour quite unexpectedly. On the flip Brooklyn Budgie Smuggler and WT Records boss Willie Burns drops two SP12 conjured remixes and they're both hot on that old skool jacking approach, with his first effort just shading it in our affections.

Review: Deep house legend Glenn Underground provides a wonderful re-rub of follow Windy City legend Robert Owens' track 'Tonight', giving it that signature soulful and jazzy vibe that only he can, all the while retaining Owen's soulful vocals. The original was produced by Florida-based veteran Joe Ventura (Big Speaker Music) and came with a great remix by New York City's Victor Simonelli, but we're really feeling the GU treatment on this rendition, which is a single sided limited edition release.

Review: A move to London town seems to have sparked a career resurgence for Chicago house ledge Robert Owens, who has been in ubiquitous form on the DJ, collaboration and production circuit in recent times. Here he joins Sean Brosnan's Needwant stable, with "One Body" remixed by Kaine, Mario Basanov, Nicholas and No Regular Play. Italian producer Nicholas opens proceedings on the A-Side with his interpretation, laying a bumpin' house groove underneath Owens' instantly recognisable velvet croon. Wolf + Lamb duo No Regular Play turn in a typically sparse 'n sultry refix, while Mario Basanov and Kaine offer two more versions on the flip - the latter's piano-heavy version is particularly bewitching!

Review: Chicago house legend Robert Owens has undergone something of a career renaissance in 2011, with the London-based artist securing a load of DJ bookings around the UK capital. Here his 1991 track "I'll Be Your Friend" is dusted off and given a 2011 re-rub by Jamie Jones, Soul Clap & Gadi Mizrahi and Inxec & Matt Tolfrey. It's the stripped back remix from the latter pairing that impresses most, with the combination of ethereal synths and Owen's unmistakable voice carrying a slow, druggy afterparty vibe. Expect all versions to get a rinsing this summer!

Review: Legendary Chicago crooner Robert Owens pops up with a double CD album on Munich imprint Compost. With fellow house music luminary and fellow Fingers Inc colleague Larry Heard and English veteran Atjazz on production duties (with Beanfield and Show-B also chipping in), it's a fascinating return to form for Owens in solo mode. The two CDs on offer are seemingly split into two distinct categories: headphone friendly soulful jazzy moments and more club-orientated house tackle. On CD1, slow, shimmering melodies are showcased on "One Love" and "Same Old Thing", while "Wonderful" has a rolling jazz charm and "Hearts and Soul" retains a soulful disco-house strut. All of this is underpinned by Owen's timeless voice, with those entrusted with knob twiddling duties careful retain relatively spare and stripped back instrumentation. The second CD sees a more throbbing house pulse prevail throughout, from the sweaty urgency of "Unique" to the chunky deepness of "Moments".

Review: Compost presents Robert Owens with 'Night Time Stories', his fantastic second solo album containing tracks produced by Jimpster,
Simbad, Ian Pooley, Atjazz, Charles Webster, Wahoo, Kirk Degiorgio, Nuno Dos Santos & TJ Kong, Marc Romboy & Owens himself.

Review: This three track EP leads the forthcoming Robert Owens album 'Night-Time Stories', including the Jimpster produced anthem 'Inside My World', the downtempo track 'Now I Now' (AtJazz) and the self produced 'Press On'. Pure class!

Little needs to be said about Robert Owens. To many people he is THE voice of house music, and with a career spanning 20 odd years and an increasing repertoire of dance classics, he is most deserving of the title.

Like many great vocalists, Robert Owens grew up singing in church gospel choirs. But it wasn't until he was working as a DJ when he met pioneering Chicago house producer Larry Heard in 1985. Together they formed Fingers Inc in 1986 and released a series of excellent singles such as 'You're Mine', 'It's Over' and the instantly recognisable house standard 'Can You Feel It?'. This culminated in the 1988 full-length album 'Another Side', after which the group amicably disbanded to follow their individual solo careers.

Owens began on the route to a successful career as a solo artist, hooking up with New York based Def Mix posse consisting of Frankie Knuckles, David Morales and Satoshi Tomiie. The result was one of clublands most emotive and defining moments, the sublime 'Tears', and a signing with the label 4th & Broadway. In 1991 he showcased his beautiful church-honed vocals and heartfelt lyrical style on his first solo album 'Rhythms In Me'.

Leaving the States behind, Robert relocated to London in 1993 where he founded his own label, Musical Directions and started assembling his own studio. He continued composing and singing on a series of dance classics such as 'Love Will Find Its Way' and 'Ordinary People' and collaborated with a remarkable list of influential artists like Sandy Rivera and Photek (on his smash hit 'Mine to Give'), and more recently with Ron Trent and Coldcut (on the stunning 'Walk a Mile in my Shoes' single).

Which brings us to 'Night-Time Stories' coming up in late February 2008 on Compost Records. Robert's latest musical offering is an incredibly cohesive collection of collaborations with some of contemporary music's biggest names. Producers like Wahoo, Jimpster, Atjazz, Charles Webster, Simbad, Marc Romboy and Ian Pooley all provide their talents, making this one of the most exciting and anticipated dance records of the next year!

Review: "The Energy" is the massive follow up to recent release "Give Me", which gained huge support worldwide - gaining praise from everyone - Ricardo Villalobos to Derrick Carter. Rob Mello has previous released over 100 singles over the years in various guises including Disco Elements, Sensory Elements, Black Science Orchestra, House of Whacks. He has recorded for Classic, Junior Boys Own, Azuli, Luxury Service, Other, Paper and Music For Freaks. Robert Owens is a house music legend, associated with the late-80s golden era of Chicago house. He was a member of Fingers Inc. alongside Larry Heard and Ron Wilson. He has previously worked with Satoshi Tomiie on "Ordinary People", Photek on "Mine To Give" and tracks in his own right, such as "Bring Down The Walls" and "I'll Be Your Friend" with David Morales for Def Mix. Previous releases also include the massive, "Fantasize", "Bump All Night" and "Where Were U?" with Ashley Beedle. Rob has recently released a mixed CD of his re-edits of the Classic catalogue, on Classic Recordings this month. Along with Matthew Herbert, Rob produced the incidental music to hit Brit rave movie 'Human Traffic', for which they were nominated for a BAFTA. Rob has recently remixed Radio Slave for Rekids, 33Hz for Defdrive, Spektrum for Non Stop, and B-52's "Mesopotamia". "The Energy" is a bleepy, jackin groove and low humming sub-bass that serve as the perfect complement to Owens gospel-like vocals - a classic in the making, unstoppable.

Review: Compost's Black Label offshoot presents the first of several remix EPs tackling the veritable bounty of deep house delight that formed last year's double CD album from Chicago House's greatest voice Robert Owens. Art featured a whole host of established names across the nineteen tracks including Larry Heard and Beanfield - thus there is plenty of potential with regards to future remixes. The first round of varied remixes come courtesy of Steve Bug, DJ Le Roi, Migumatix, 20:20 Vision's Tom Taylor & Gareth Whitehead. Le Roi adds some reverberant rhythmic urgency to the Owens & Atjazz collab "Moments" whilst Migumatix embellishes the Mr. Fingers reunion that is "Be Your Own Hero" with some rather tasty 303 jacking hits. The hypnotic qualities of this remix just edge out Bug's stripped down take on "Rise".

Review: Following on from the success of Soul Clap's album, Wolf + Lamb turn back to some cheeky edit business that reflects their ever deepening love for pop noir in their house music. First up Mike Gill's "Midst Of The Moment" goes for all out balladry with mournful electro synths and saddened pads underneath the pure and simple vocal from Robert Owens. It's a bold move that Soul Clap and Gadi Mizrahi decided to tackle Owens' renowned classic "I'll Be Your Friend" but they successfully put their own spin on it with a sparse and dubby rhythm section and a general holding back on the cheesy elements to create a heads down dancefloor smasher.

Review: First released during the Chicago house boom of 1987, "I'm Strong" remains one of the greatest Fingers Inc collaborations between Larry Heard and Robert Owens. This reissue on Heard's own Alleviated imprint draws together the two most essential versions of the track. On the A-side, you'll find Heard's instrumental version - an intoxicating blend of layered, delay-laden drum machine percussion, looped organ stabs and alien electronics. Owens comes to the fore on the flipside House Remix, laying down one of his most iconic vocal performances - a mixture of soulful singing and atmospheric speech - over one of Heard's most distinctive productions.

Review: Two of Chicago's finest musical assets collide on "One Tear". Boasting vocals from the legendary Robert Owens alongside the production skills of Tevo Howard, "One Tear's" original mix rides off a wiggly b-line with shimmering cymbals. Pushing ever forward as rippling percussion falls delightfully off the beat, Owens' story-telling verses are accompanied by sensual moans and groans. The dub mix throws down acidic synth beds, light echoing keys and layered vocals, while on the flipside you'll find two speeding club remixes that keep the track's vocal smoothness intact but pummel "One Tear" through an upped tempo with harsher kicks.

Review: "Escape From The Madness", by Rob Pearson and C Soul, is next level in London house music. A shaking deep groove introduces a distinguished bass and Robert Owen's wonderful voice. Plastic City has struck gold again.

Review: Vibraphone Records continues to deepen its contemporary repertoire by inviting Andrew Soul into the fold with a vocal contribution from house music legend Robert Owens. "Slipping Into Darkness" is a beautifully rendered deep house gem with expressive piano work, rubbery bass synth tones, but in some ways the minimalism of Vincent Floyd's remix gives Owens' vocals a chance to take centre stage. "As You Are" is a crooked, broken beat exploration on the fringes of deep house, and Owens' voice sounds resplendent in the more experimental surroundings before Nick Anthony Simoncino comes on board with a 90s flavoured, darkside remix of the highest order.

Review: Having previously plied his trade on Ibadan's tech-house flavoured Apotek offshoot (often in the company of Jerome Sydenham), Janne Tavi has finally been given his chance on the parent label. It comes courtesy of Robert Owens collaboration "The Other Man", a sumptuous chunk of classic house dripping in life-affirming piano solos, sweeping strings, driving drumbeats and sumptuous, soulful vocals. The headline remixes come courtesy of Kerri Chandler, who serves up vocal and instrumental versions seemingly inspired by Owens' work with Larry Heard as Fingers Inc (think analogue bass, rolling drum machine rhythms and sensual electronics). Tavi's own Vocal Dub - booming, bumping and stripped back - completes an essential package.