mysteries of the ampalaya
(AMR-19)
The 16th release teams AMR Executive Director Malcolm Moore up with his best friend of over 20 years, Deep4Life chief and deep house legend Chris Gray. The release, “Mysteries of the Ampalaya”, represents Chris Gray’s first original work on vinyl in nearly a decade – we can definitively say that we’ve brought Chris out of house-tirement!
Chris Gray’s long, storied career in house music began in 1995 when he released “The Moonchildren EP” on Subwoofer, to critical acclaim. Releases on DC10 and Fragmented Records would soon follow, including his magnum opus, “Fish & Luvconfushun.” He would also join the storied Track Mode and Music Is… labels before finally starting his Deep4Life imprint in 1999. Over the last decade, Chris and Deep4Life have released some of the most time-honored deep house classics of this era, including the most recent release “Vivid| Sensuality.” Now, Chris brings his inimitable style to Altered Moods Recordings and joins up with Malcolm Moore to help you unravel the “Mystery.”
Chris leads with Side S and the first track, “If They Could Tax Flamboyance…” This stomper, with vintage Chris Gray leads, pads and piano intertwined with a gritty rhythm, harkens back to the Subwoofer and Fragmented days. The next and title track brings a more laid-back ride, with a nice, peppy bass wrapped around gentle, flanged pads and peppered with shakers and dainty triangles.
On the flip, Malcolm brings the Deep Core version of the dancefloor heat with “N. O. M. A. D. Mood”. This body-mover starts fast and thick from the beginning, and builds infinitely with its bed of lush pads and strings, supporting a pounding conga-laced groove, complete with triangle and tick-tock pad-as-lead. The final track, “Free…2 Be”, finishes out the years-in-the-making collaboration with style, with bells, strings and pads pirouetting around a funky-chunk bassline.
