Rick Wade

“The Good, The Bad And The Deep”

YRE010LP scanZoom inLabelYore
Cat. No.YRE010LP
FormatEXCL2LP
Orders fromMon, 26 May 2008
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Review

Yore strongly returns with Detroit’s Rick Wade’s full length Album “The Good, the Bad and the Deep". With the second album release Rick Wade has issued his own deep strain of late-night House music since 1991 so it shouldn’t surprise that his tracks draw upon past eras as much as the current one. In fact, when the artist, DJ, and label head (Harmonie Park and Bass Force) sprinkles a little Chain Reaction dust over the funky handclapping swing of “Prime Expansion,” one could be forgiven for interpreting the moment as his way of acknowledging a relatively recent style before shifting the spotlight back to his preferred territory. Wade’s style naturally references techno and house but also pulls classic disco, smooth jazz, funk, and Philly soul into its expansive orbit. One hears traces of Barry White, Gamble and Huff, and The Crusaders: White in the soulful strings that sometimes course through Wade’s steaming tracks, Gamble and Huff in the sparkling arrangements, and The Crusaders’ Joe Sample in the Rhodes flourishes that caress the grooves (it’s perhaps worth noting that Wade grew up listening to Al Green and Isaac Hayes, among others). Following an intro of soft chords, triangle, and congas, “Focus” achieves liftoff when the beats kick in, after which Wade sweetens the deal with twilight synth colour and silken strings. A smooth jazz spirit infuses “Xavi” with a feathery sax motif and springy bass line buoying a sleek disco-funk pulse. If there’s a single cut that captures the The Good, the Bad, and the Deep’s essence, it’s the beautiful “Hustler’s Den.” Bridging three decades in a single gesture, the cut’s pounding stomp is overlaid by a see-sawing Rhodes motif and a ’70s-styled bass slap, which are then joined by horn accents and a soaring string line. Wade’s tracks are rich with detail but their essence is first and foremost groove. So dedicated is he to it that a track is sometimes stripped back to nothing more than its beat core before the other elements

YRE010LP in the media

Canada: “ “Reviews / April / May in: Resident Advisor Review Dusted Magazine, New York Radio play at “the Vault” on FM WESU / USA by Anton Banks. Radio Airplay on Diversions on CHRY FM 105.5 Toronto Interview: Rick Wade : Textura Magazine + Review in BPM ””

Greece: “ “ Review in Freeze Magazine in May + Yore Label feature +”

IDJ Mag (UK): “ It may be trendy to be into so-called ‘deep’ house again – although much of what is vaunted as such seems to make your average purist beardy muso’s skin crawl – but you get the impression that neither Detroit dude Rick Wade nor Yore boss Andy Vaz care much for the fickle winds of fashion. What it does mean is that Wade’s criminally under-appreciated contribution to house music, spanning twenty years, a handful of revered labels, and numerous aliases, might garner enough attention to teach all the young pretenders a thing or two. On the basis of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Deep’, you’d certainly hope so, suffused as it is with smoking Big D soul, non-shit jazz, and the kind of chunky swagger that classic US house producers really excel in. A couple of moments are maybe just a bit too tasteful for their own good, but check the sensual thump of horn-heavy club kickers ‘Prime Expansion’ and ‘Force Feed’ for a taste of Wade at his timeless, floor-shaking best. ”

Italy: “ “ Altroverso Airplay on Radio / Review Newsletter””

Raveline (GER): “ “ Nach nunmehr zwei erfolgreichen Schallplatten meldet sich der Detroiter Grandseigneur des Deephouse zurück auf Yore Records. Diesmal jedoch nicht etwa mit einer neuen EP, sondern gleich mit einem kompletten Album im Gepäck! Auf „The Good, The Bad And The Deep" präsentiert Rick Wade anhand von acht Tracks ein vollständiges Porträt seiner selbst. Sehr floorkonzentrierte Housegrooves - zwischenzeitliche Technoaffinität nicht ausgeschlossen - werden unversehens mit Eindrücken aus Jazz, Soul, Funk, 70ties-Disco und moderner Klangästhetik verbunden. Über allem Detail- und Instrumentenreichtum steht stets Wades Leidenschaft für rollende Grooves, die mal eher afrikanischer, mal lateinamerikanischer Prägung sind. Und beim sommerlich klimpernden „Only Love" sorgt der prägnante, faszinierender Weise leicht schlaftrunken wirkende, Gesang von Marissa Guzman sogar für dezentes Popfeeling. Absolut gelungen. 5 Points Achim ””

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