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West London’s Slip 'n' Slide was one of the UK’s original House imprints. Starting in 1994 with early releases and remixes from artists such as Blaze, Deep Dish, X-Press 2, King Britt, Masters At Work, Kings Of Tomorrow and Restless Soul, it set the benchmark for house music in the UK and gave a platform to artists who then went on to become all-time greats. This series revisits some of Slip ‘n’ Slide’s standout releases, gleefully wading through the entire musical history of the label, blowing the dust off those albums and singles that deserve another lease of life, and a place in your classic house collection.

Kevin Hedge and Josh Milan, aka New Jersey based duo Blaze (one of Slip ‘n’ Slide’s most prolific acts), wrote and produced the stunningly beautiful ‘Basic Blaze’ LP, in 1997. ‘Basic Blaze’ is a true reflection of Milan’s church choir background, portraying an easy listening, gospel house tone throughout, together with mid to up-tempo beats. The soulful vocals, coupled with captivating percussion and stunning instrumentation, takes you on a spiritual journey that highlights Blaze’s roots in house music but with a vision that goes beyond a simple genre. ‘The Garden’ is a key player on the LP, with first class gospel vocals and a 90’s R&B undertone, it’s emotionally breath taking. On the contrary, ‘My Beat’ delivers an irresistibly foot tapping, up-tempo jazz beat, teamed with vocals from Palmer Brown (an alias of Kevin Hedge). Then there is the flawless up tempo yet subtle jazz house feel for ‘Klubtrance’. Hedge & Milan create house perfection, and ‘Basic Blaze’ is a must have in your playlist.

1. discogs.com
2. en.wikipedia.org