THEO PARRISH

Review: Originally released back in 2011 in conjunction with Scion Audio/Visual now repressed by Omar S on his FXHE label "Who's In Key" features Theo Parrish!

Review: Omar S brings "The Grand Son Of Detroit Techno!". This amazing, deep and hypnotising house track features live percussion from Theo Parrish.

Review: Theo Parrish is one of those characters who manages to unite lovers of both house and techno, indeed producing offerings that seem to make the distinction utterly redundant. How does he doe it? Well, if this pair of new tracks are anything to go on, it's the simple trick of making tracks that combine the soufulness and rootsy earthiness of house with a trippy sense of the futuristic and psychedelic that elevates them out of the ordinary.
Take, for instance 'In Motion's simple piano stabs and the subsequent off kilter groove that builds up around them. Or, equally, the cheeky bass keyboard manoeuvres that form the backbone of 'Don't Play' featuring Ava, funky enough to be Stevie Wonder but then matched with caustic, scything hi-hats that have more than a hint of the surreal and robotic about them. Best of all, it doesn't feel like a compromise, it feels like a full on creation that acknowledges both traditions but refuses to follow either slavishly.

Review: The roots of Sound Signature are revisited in fine style with the first of three essential Theo Parrish represses this week! Originally released back towards the tail end of 1998, Roots Revisited is Theo in full on percussion mode, perfectly balancing the rhythmic elements with his innate understanding of true soul and how to implement it. Lead track "Dan Ryan" is one of those deeply meditative Theo cuts that feels like it can probably seep into infinity without any danger of losing its charm, whilst the Liberation Mix of "Walking Through The Sky" will provide a bone of contention for the most feverish of Theo followers out there.

Review: On his latest expansive double-pack, Theo Parrish has decided to dip into his epic back catalogue. The four featured tracks are taken from two sought-after, hard to find EPs released in 1997 and 2001 respectively. Opener 'Smile' is arguably one of the Detroiter's most magnificent musical moments of all time: an epic slab of drowsy Motor City deep house built around idiosyncratic drum programming, ultra-deep chords, toasty bass and an effects-laden vocal snippet. 'Lost Keys' is a breezier and looser affair marked out by Latin style piano motifs, jazzy house beats and tactile bass, while 'Dreamer's Blues' is a languid, percussion-and-electric piano rich number that tends towards the hazy and jazzy. Finally, 'Lost Angel' is an ultra-deep affair whose spacey chords seem to stretch out eternity.

Review: After six years, Theo Parrish has finally decided to treat us to a new full-length excursion. That in itself is cause for celebration, because the Motor City veteran has a style all of his own that fuses a myriad of musical influences, genuinely sounds like nothing else, and is extremely difficult to recreate. That trademark sound is naturally at the very core of Wuddajii, which sees the Detroit legend effortlessly slide between bruk-up business ('Radar Detector'), free-jazz funk (the superb title track), hip-hop influenced beatdown jazziness ('Hambone Cappuccino'), sleazy late-night beat science ('Angry Purple Birds' and 'All Your Boys Are Biters), typically epic slabs of deep house soulfulness ('This is For You'), and mind-altering voyages into electronic jazz spiritualism ('Knew Better Do Better').

Review: The inimitable Theo Parrish is in a class of one. His brand of music is impossible to categorise as it draws on so many unique sounds in so many unique ways. This new album is another spellbinding affair that takes scuffed up house rhythms and intertwines them with freeform percussive patterns and off-grid synths that get pulled apart then rebuilt before your very ears. It is experimental music with an improvised jazz mindset that can range from complex and dense tapestries like 'Radar Detector' to the more upbeat and playful 'Hennyweed Buckdance' via fucked up drum sketches like 'All Your Boys Are Biters.'

Review: During its lifespan, sadly departed London club Plastic People had it all: an intimate space to dance, an astonishingly good audiophile sound system, and a crew of resident DJs that included the mighty Theo Parrish. The Detroiter's sets there, which ran for a minimum of six hours, have naturally become the stuff of legend. Three years after the club closed, Parrish has decided to release the recording of his final set there - a thrillingly free-wheeling, three-disc voyage that dizzily and gleefully joins the dots between jazz, soul, disco, funk, deep house, acid, techno and much more besides. The three discs capture Parrish at his most lively and esoteric, providing a musical journey that will delight dancers and armchair listeners alike.

Review: Theo Parrish lays down a marker for a long overdue fifth album, apparently due out later this year, with the sublime Footwork 12". Named in reference to the dance as opposed to the breakneck offshoot of Ghetto House, "Footwork" is a sublime slab of Theo with many of his trademark production touches. Think lightly brushed percussion, meandering bassline that juts out with an odd funk, and subtle yet sumptuous musical touches, all topped off by a gruff "let me see your footwork baby" croon. Those Theo fans out there that like the man to get a bit rugged will be all over "Tympanic Warfare" too, where off the grid polyrhythms cannon around the channels, augmented by an ugly bassline and dexterous keys.

Review: Sound Signature end 2013 how they started it; with a fresh slab of Theo Parrish goodness! Whilst the Dance of the Medusa EP issued back in January was Theo in marauding beat down mode, it seems the respected Detroit based producer is in a much mellower mood here. For example, the title track on the Long Walk In Sun 12" is the sort of mid-tempo production that would feature in an early doors Floating Points set at Plastic People. Complementing this, "Strawberry Dragon" features a more prominent display of Parrish's widely regarded skills at chopping percussion, but it's the resplendent instrumentation that stands out.

Review: classic 2010 Theo Parrish album Sketches back in stock on CD.

Review: A Theo Parrish track plus Carl Craig's massive remix and a brand new version by Chateau Flight out on Syncophone! Another chance to grab the original which appeared only on a Third Ear Ltd Compilation in 2002 of which only 500 units were pressed.

Review: Apart from the obvious love for his musical talents, both as a producer and as a DJ, one of the reasons why we love Theo Parrish so damn much is his repressing policy. Unlike some of his peers, the man has no problem in repressing in-demand Sound Signatures from the past, and this time it's number 32 that receives a much-welcomed resurrection. The EP features singer Dummine Depores, first on the utterly hummable and soulful "Chemistry" track, and then on "Untitled One", a classically off-kilter Parrish number filled to the brim with sampling goodness and even a distant set of guitar riffs! Killers.

Review: Originally released on the French label Apricot Records in 1997. It now includes an extended mix of the title track, and a previously unreleased song serving as a dub on the b-side.

Review: In his usual no-nonsense fashion, Theo Parrish has not said much about the surprise release of Gentrified Love Part 2, despite it being his first fresh material since 2014. The EP features contributions from two of the Detroit's legends oldest friends: Rotating Assembly member Duminie DePorres, and original Slum Village member Waajeed. A-side "Warrior Code" is a quietly foreboding proposition, with spiraling electronics, jammed keys and cosmic chords riding a chunky, West London style broken beat groove. Flip for the altogether brighter and breezier "Leave The Funk To Us", a jaunty and jazz-wise 4/4 excursion blessed with some superb, Herbie Hancock style jazz-funk keys.

Review: Theo Parrish's Gentrified Love series seems to be a collaborative affair. Part two, available separately, contained hook-ups with fellow Detroiters Wajeed and Duminie Deporres. "Ghetto Proposal", which is available in Vocal and Instrumental versions, features sublime contributions from another Motor City legend, veteran modern soul man Amp Fiddler. It's something of a deliciously trippy affair, underpinned by a freaky, delay-heavy groove, fireside-warm Rhodes keys, meandering trumpet lines and - on the vocal version, at least, drowsy female vocals. Both artists jazz influence is clear, particularly in the crunchy percussion hits that begin to dominate as the track progresses. Interestingly, the instrumental moves a little further towards jazzy broken beat territory.