ROMERO, HARRY / DAY, INAYA / PENN, DAVID / DUNN, MIKE - [EP13] SAMPLER EP 13

In the beginning, jack had a groove. And thanks to heavyweight house heroes like Harry Romero, that groove is now back. “My love of house came from the culture,” explains Jersey’s finest from his studio headquarters in The Butchashop. Harry, in case you missed the musical memo, is a humble house music legend with classic club cuts like ‘Tania’, ‘Night @ The Black’ and ‘I Go Back’ with Robert Owens under his belt, but really that’s just the tip of the iceberg as his current catalogue will attest. Harry’s 2021 saw releases and remixes on labels from Crosstown Rebels to Hot Creations and Classic Recordings, and 2022 will see him release on Defected for the first time since the mighty ‘Revolution’: and just wait until you hear who he has on vocals! (She’s house music royalty and that sums it up.) See, from then to now, Harry represents one thing: and that’s pure quality. His inspirations growing up tell the same story. From the mid to late 80s he listened to Tony Humphreys on the radio and followed Todd Terry, Masters At Work and Fingers Inc. So, with the full backing of Simon Dunmore and Luke Solomun at Defected and Classic, it’s now Harry’s time to shine. He released the Kölsch/Pete Tong approved (not to mention the Beatport-trouncing, Afro-House number one) ‘Afro Horn’ on Crosstown Rebels, as well as remixes of ‘Tania’ from Honey Dijon and remixes of his own for Jack Back and CeCe Rogers and Danny Tenaglia. Friends for (club) life, his Danny Tenaglia association with ‘Don’t Turn Your Back’ on Hot Creations was a major success: he remixed alongside Mendo and the mighty Carl Cox. He also found time to chat to Honey Dijon to discuss their incredible respective careers in house and released on Cecille with ‘Mood Vision’, a singular and super-distinctive house instrumental that was supported by Honey Dijon and Luciano alike and was another Beatport success. With the epic and spiritual sequel to ‘Afro Horn’, ‘It’s You’ having now dropped, we can also now reveal that he’s working on Honey Dijon’s new album. In short, he has become the go-to remixer for house remixes once again and there’s plenty more ahead. So what’s his ethos now? Simple! To wave his own flag. “I know what I’m capable of in the studio and behind the decks. Harry 2.0, this is my renaissance! “ He’s had a career that now runs across two decades but also recognizes that “this is a rebirth, not a remix.” It’s also about reaching a new generation with a catalogue that speaks for itself. “’Tania’ is still being played by Loco Dice and Luciano. It’s not easy to do something with ‘Tania’, he notes. “Obviously, what Honey Dijon handed in was unbelievable. She knows the original from Danny Tenaglia playing it in the city and she made it harder and tougher while also being something standing on its own.” Make no mistake, 2021 and 2022 may be a crazy world but we’re coming out of the dark and Harry’s steered his way through with skill and dexterity. Harry had the privilege of being raised in a musical family. His mother soaked the air with the Latin rhythms of merengue and cumbia, while his father, a former opera tenor, practiced his scales and listened to Beethoven. These early influences drive Harry to constantly look to expand musically... and he has. Run-DMC, along with the Latin-freestyle movement in the 80s, inspired Choo-Choo (the train conductor's cap he's worn since childhood may have something to do with the nickname). Choo-Choo jump-started his career as a DJ with a high-voltage performance at a New Jersey dance club. From there, he was taken under the wing of Millennium Music, a management company and production team. Harry worked with their label, Gossip Records (distributed by Strictly Rhythm), creating demos and gathering some useful industry-related knowledge. His first record, Soulfuric "Urban Turban" was clearly ahead of its time, weaving Arabic scatting with house grooves. Strictly Rhythm grabbed the record for release in 1995, and asked him to release a follow-up Soulfuric record, called "Sea Of Passion" which captured more Latin elements. Both records were licensed extensively, catapulting Harry's name and music out into the world. A number of releases followed for labels like Emotive, Sex Mania, Power Music, and Gossip Records. One of Harry's major breaks resulted from C&C Music Factory's Robert Clivilles' interest in one of Harry's creations named "Il Futuro", a house track with an Italian vocal from "World" EP.Robert asked Harry to write, produce, and arrange a song, "Saturday Night" for his 1996 LP "Robi-Rob's Club World". As expected, lots of work followed for Harry. Collaborations with his labelmates and others have been extremely important for Harry as he continues to develop his name and his body of work. Constipated Monkeys, Harry's acclaimed partnership with Jose Nunez, has produced several percussive, funky tracks including "Cro-Magnon" and "Erectus" (Subliminal Records). The success of these tracks has launched the team into another wave of production - their 12" "Sunshine" was released this summer. In addition, Constipated Monkeys' worldwide reputation as producers and DJs has earned them residencies at both The Ministry of Sound in London and Pacha in Ibiza, Spain. To top off Harry's stream of new solo releases, a much-anticipated follow-up track with the stunning vocalist Inaya Day will succeed last year's tremendous Subliminal release "Just Can't Get Enough". Harry describes this record as "chalk-full of 80s rock n' roll and Latin roots." He is an impressive young man with an honest and zealous dedication to improving and honing his talents. He recognizes Dave Darlington, an engineer he has worked closely with, for inspiring him to sharpen his technical skills, and he credits the many great musicians and vocalists he's worked with for reminding him that it's all about the music. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Inaya Day (born Inaya Davis, January 17, 1977, New York) is an American singer. Inaya Day began singing in church as a young child, where she got her first experience in performing. She attended the prestigious High School of Music and the Performing Arts, and went on to study musical theater at the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Day has also appeared on Broadway, notably as understudy to Stephanie Mills as "Dorothy" in The Wiz, and stepped into the lead role in Washington, D.C. and St. Louis, Missouri. She has had extensive experience as a session musician, having appeared on tracks by Michael Jackson, Al Green, Puff Daddy, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Monie Love, Big Daddy Kane and Jonathan Butler. Day has also written songs for Randy Crawford and Bootsy Collins, and has writing credits on Missy Elliott's "Gossip Folks" (the second single from her Under Construction album), on which Day co-wrote the hook and provided backing vocals. Day was introduced to house music in 1996 when she was asked to do a demo. She met German record producers Boris Dlugosch and Mousse T, who produced a dance single "Keep Pushin", which went on to reach No. 2 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs. She then sang chorus for Mousse T's track "Horny", which later gained in popularity when additional vocals from the duo Hot 'N' Juicy were added to the song. "Horny" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs. The follow-up song "Hold Your Head Up High", with Booom!, reached No. 6 on the Hot Dance Club Songs. In 1997, she released the club anthem "Movin' Up", credited as DJ Mike Cruz Presents Inaya Day and Chyna Ro. For this record, long time friend and actress Tichina Arnold lent her vocals but chose to use the moniker Chyna Ro for the project. She again teamed up with Cruz for "Can't Stop Dancing" which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs. In 2004 she sang on a track by the Australian dance producer mrTimothy called "I Am Tha 1", credited to Mr Timothy featuring Inaya Day, which went to the top of the Australian dance chart and top 30 in the Australian pop chart. She also sang on his next single "Stand By Me" later that year. "Nasty Girl" was first released in Australia, reaching the top 20, and it was then released in the UK in July 2005, and reached No. 9 there. Later that year, she also guest featured on "The Glamorous Life", a single by T-Funk, an alternate alias of mrTimothy. In June 2007, Day released a cover version of the 1988 Big Pig song, "Breakaway", which itself was a cover of the song "I Can't Break Away" by Chuck Jackson. Inaya Day has sung on a variety of dance hits since 1996. These include: "Can't Stop Dancin" - Cruz and Bugz - No. 1 Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs 1997 - "Movin Up (Take My Problems to the Dance Floor)" - Mike Cruz featuring Inaya Day and Tichina Arnold China Ro - No. 2 Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs 2000 - "Feel It" - with DJ Dome - UK Singles Chart No. 51 "I'm Touched" - DJ Dove featuring Inaya Day "Shout It Out" - Inaya Day meets Louis Benedetti 1999 - "Just Can't Get Enough" - Harry "Choo Choo" Romero Presents Inaya Day - No. 39 UK Singles Chart "I Will" - Mongobonix featuring Inaya Day "Hold Your Head Up High" - Boris Dlugosch Presents Booom! "Keep Pushin' On" - Boris Dlugosch remix 2004 - "Better Things" - Afropeans 2004 - "I Am Tha 1" - Mr Timothy featuring Inaya Day 2004 - "Nasty Girl" - produced by Mousse T. and So Phat! (cover of the Vanity 6 song) 2006 - "Stand By Me" - Mr Timothy featuring Inaya Day 2007 - "The Glamorous Life" - by T-Funk featuring Inaya Day 2007 - "Breakaway" 2008 - "Say You Will" 2008 - "Natural High" - Michael Woods Feat. Inaya Day 2009 - "Take Me Up" - Inaya Day vs. Leggz & Femi B 2009 - "Got 2 Get Up" - mrTimothy featuring Inaya Day 2009 - "Let There Be" - Inaya Day and Antoine Dessante 2010 - "Superstar" - Inaya Day and DJ Eako 2010 - "Never Had Another Love" - Mike Cruz presents Inaya Day 2010 - "Better Days" - Inaya Day and Native Sons 2010 - "All I'm Sayin' (Just Hold On)'" - Inaya Day and Nick J 2010 - "Joy" - Inaya Day and Antoine Dessante 2010 - "Til The Morning Comes" - Inaya Day vs Diego Ray & Nick Corline 2010 - "Do The Right Thing" - Quentin Harris and Inaya Day 2011 - "CHASE ME" - Inaya Day 2011 - "RAPID FIRE (RAPIDO)" - Inaya Day & Giangi 2011 - "WHERE ARE THEY NOW" - Inaya Day & Dmitry Filatov 2011 - "SWEET LOVER" - Inaya Day vs Menini & Viani 2011 - "NEXT TO YOU" - Inaya Day 2011 - "TIME IS NOW" - Inaya Day and Mangesto 2011 - "Lose My Worries" - Inaya Day & Ralf Gum 2011 - "MY LOVE" - Inaya Day vs sem thomasson & Siege 2011 - "ONE WAY" - Inaya Day 2012 - "THAT PLACE" - Dunk N' Aliens feat Mia & Inaya Day 2012 - "REDEMPTION" - DeVonde & Mangesto feat Inaya Day 2012 - "Jump Up & Down" - Mike Cruz produces Inaya Day & Mark Shine 2012 - "Long Day" - Inaya Day Allstars featuring Crystal Waters 2013 - "Like You" - Ridney & Inaya Day 2013 - "Make Some Noise" - Inaya Day & DJ Escape 2014 - "Shelter Me" - Lee Dagger, featuring Inaya Day Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Producer, arranger, DJ and musician from Madrid-Spain. He has his own record company “Zen Records”, and release different projects with different names from 1992. Influenced from its childhood by funky, soul, jazz and by electronic music in his adolescence, he knew that his future would be in music. Very versatile, he try to fuse his different influences with new technologies combining old harmonies with new sounds evolving day to day. One of his biggest hits was “The Night train” from Kadoc, who was selling all over the world more than two million copies (singles and compilations), and was number 12 in the UK charts and number 1 in Holland more than 1 month. In those days he played in Denmark, Germany, France, UK, Holland, Miami & Rusia. In 1994 he met DJ Chus who has been working with him since then in several projects, remixes and gigs. Producer under names as Deux, Montilla, Nuboy or Doblado, David Penn has worked also with DJ Chus, Ceballos, Toni Bass, Halo, DJ Jabato, Sebastián Gamboa, Camilo Franco and Olav Basoski. He made remixes for Jay-J, Junior Jack, Chus & Ceballos, Vibe Residents, Milk & Sugar, Dave Storm, Wackside, Lenny Fontana, Ron Hall, Jason Hates Jazz, Cam or The Thief among others. He had released records all over the world in labels as Defected, Black Vinyl, Purple Music, Azuli, Bluem, Maya or Rise. In 2003 starts a new division of Zen Records called Urbana Recordings with a big DJ recognition, releasing new fresh music from his Mediterranean country. His records are played by djs as Roger Sanchez, David Morales, Bob Sinclar, DJ Chus. Nominated as Best Breakthrough Label in House Music Awards (UK) and Deejaymags (Spain) 2005. As a dj he played in the Winter Music Conference in Miami, in Rusia in front of 5000 people, in Japan, Mexico, Poland, Estonia, Bulgary, Latvia, Lithuania, Croatia, Malta, Egypt, Germany, … In 2007 he received 3 Deejaymags (Spanish Deejay magazine) as: -Best House DJ 2006 -Best House production Montilla “From The Stars” -Best Label Urbana Recordings In 2008, he has been awarded with the 2007 Best Club House DJ award in Deejaymags07. At the moment he´s doing a 2 hours radio show every thursday at www.locafm.com (Loca FM Spain) from 22:00 to 00:00 (Europe Time). In his sets, always combines one defined line house with different slopes that go from underground to house more energetic and musical and irresistibly is seduced by classic tracks. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Chicago house music legend Mike Dunn, has been DJing and producing music for almost three decades. Hailing from Englewood, Chicago, Mike started out DJing at the local block parties that took place playing disco, funk, soul and prototype Chicago house tracks. “I was one of the first cats bringing two reel-to-reels and spinning with them at the parties. I was bringing out two Pioneer 707s, doing the Hummingbird, Jacks, The Courtyard, etc. I’d bring a drum machine, too. I would make tracks right then as the party was going. Way before my guys Daft Punk and all of them were doing live gigs, I was doing that at the basement parties – just bringing drum machines and doing everything live. A lot of my early tracks came from me doing them at the party when the party was going on. I’d save it in memory and bring it home and polish it up. But I listen to it now and it’s like, damn… didn’t use enough cleaner!” Word soon spread about his talents and Mike was booked for various clubs in and around Chicago, DJ’ing with house music innovators such as Ron Hardy, Larry Heard and good friend Armando Gallop. It wasn’t long before Mike got the production bug, resulting in his first release in 1987, “Dance You Mutha” on Westbrook Records, he also started to produce and engineer for other Chicago artists, such as Armando, Fast Eddie and K-Alexi Shelby. More house and techno productions followed in the late 80s with Mike’s distinctive vocal delivery and trademark hip-house, acid, production style, to create tracks such as ‘Let It Be House’, ‘Magic Feet’ and “Face the Nation”, sometimes under the name Mike Dunn but also under aliases such as MD Connection, MDIII and QX-1. He continued to produce and release throughout the 1990s, with releases on labels such as Nervous, Nitestuff and Tribal America, whilst also working with other producers and vocalists such as Syleena Johnson, Byron Stingley, Mina Jackson, Kool Rock Steady and Kym English to name a few. More recently, tracks like Phreaky MF’ and ‘God Made Me Phunky’, rereleased on Defected records, have raised his profile and delivered his music to new audiences. Whilst new interest in Mike’s original old school jamz have taken him to work with the new generation of house and techno producers and labels, demonstrated on tracks such as ‘It’s the Music’ produced by Murphy Jaxx and ‘Touch the Sky’ produced by Alden Tyrell and released on Clone’s Jack for Daze imprint. His first album in 27 years, ‘My House, From All Angles’ was released in 2019 on Classic that was well received by press and DJs alike. This year also sees the launch of Mike’s label Blackball Muzik as an outlet for Mike’s music productions as well as releases on Defected and Gliterbox to name a few. Mike continues to DJ throughout the world playing at clubs such as Panorama Bar, Concrete, Fabric and Sub Club, and festivals such as Glastonbury, Electric Forrest demonstrating why the Chicago OG is still very much in demand Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.