House music legend DJ Sneak shows us why he’s a master of the groove on his ‘Back to love’ EP for Heist Recordings.
There’s only a handful of people that can really say they’ve seen House music since its earliest days. Puerto Rica-born, Chicago-bred, and LA-based artist DJ Sneak is definitely one of them. He has been the king of the groove ever since his big break back in ’94 through Cajmere’s label Cajual and was key in the development of that mid-nineties house sound with appearances on labels such as Strictly Rhythm, Henry St Music and 83 West. Sneak has worked with some of the biggest artists in the game including Daft Punk, (delivering lyrics for their track ‘Digital Love’), Armand Van Helden and many more.
After a break in the past few years where Sneak re-evaluated his relationship with the scene and his music, he’s now back doing the thing he loves most: Making killer tracks and slamming it on a record. We’ve always considered each other friends and Sneak has been a true supporter of our music and the label since day 1, so it’s humbling to realize that we’re now in a place where we can let his music shine on Heist. With that, we’re proud to present this future classic from the master himself.
The aptly titled “Back to love” EP starts off with one of Sneak’s most intimate productions to date: “Love can make it happen”. Built around an ever-evolving vocal loop, and dreamy strings this track is deeper than deep with the percussion matching that meditative energy, with the grunt only Sneak can bring.
“Going back to it” is Chicago house music in its core. Moody chords, some vocal chops, a badass bass line, and solid percussion is all you need. With ‘Full Cycle’ on the flip, we see Sneak take back his rightful place as the king of the groove. It’s a track that has us reminiscing the days of ‘Paperclip People’ where the bluntness of a live recorded ‘on/off’ arrangement really adds something special to a track.
The EP ends with “Pockets”, a house jam with classic 90s vocals and energetic snare drums to add that classic New York touch to this already amazing record and shows us that DJ Sneak has a great feel for bringing modern day house music with a vintage feel.
As always, enjoy the music and play it loud!
Maarten & Lars